


Operation: Azur Lane

by Orbit (PLEOrbVTwo)



Series: Rainbow Tour [1]
Category: Titanfall (Video Games), Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games), 碧蓝航线 | Azur Lane (Video Game)
Genre: Buck is an over protective big bro of Frost, But I'm not good at writing smuts so... Good thing you won't see that many, Crossover, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Slow Romance, Some of the chapters will be NSFW, Tags will be added slowly over time, and I love it, ideas are welcomed, new to writing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 15:33:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 25,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21077231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PLEOrbVTwo/pseuds/Orbit
Summary: For most of the operators, today is just like any other. Another day of simulations, workouts, and downtime. Unknown to them, Harry, the new Six, had already made plans for the unsuspecting operators.





	1. First wave

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first ever fanfic, so I thought why not go big and do a crossover between my two favorite games! I hope I didn't make too much error, still getting used to the whole dialogue writing format. So some advice would be great! If you can find them please do tell as English isn't my first language. (Also English is weird as fuck, why are there so many different words that essentially means the same thing!?)

"All operator please report to the briefing room as soon as possible, uniforms are not required." Harry's voice echoed throughout the base. Shortly after, both attack and defense teams arrived. "Thank you all for joining, now without further or do I'll explain the situation. As some of you may know we will be having a duel 'tour' with the international naval warfare unit, also known as 'Azur Lane.' He sighed before continuing, "as the naval base is on a disclosed location we are only allowed to send a limited number of operators each visit, don't worry, everyone gets to go. Just, please do keep an open mind. You are dismissed." Harry added, before leaving the room.

"Well, that's a first." Thermite noted.  
"What is?" Pulse asked while fine-tuning his cardiac sensor.  
"For once Harry looks stressed, it's like he's worried about something regarding the exchange tomorrow."  
"I think you're just overreacting Jordan, besides, we get to see all kinds of ships!" Pulse replied with excitement in his voice.  
"I hope you're right… talk to you later."  
"Later."

The next day, the day of the exchange. Thankfully, the recent activity of the white masks has been an all-time low, allowing the operators to relax for a while. "The following operators please report to brief room; Thermite, Pulse, Ash, Castle, Blackbeard, and Valkyrie. You have 30 minutes to pack a day worth of equipment, please dress in your uniforms. " The announcement was heard via the intercom.

"Well lucky us." Valkyrie exclaimed, "Let's just hope it won't be another hidden operation like last time."  
"You could say that again…" Ash added as she headed towards the room.

"Is everyone here?" Harry says as he took a quick glance at the room, "Great, as you all know we are currently having an exchange with one of the bases within Azur Lane, we are meeting with what’s known as a 'prototype base.’ Code name, ‘Universe,’ that’s all you are dismissed.” After the brief, the six United States operators were sent to meet the commander of base “Universe”  
“Any idea who he might be?” Castle asked both the Navy SEALs  
“I have no clue, what about you?” Blackbeard replied while taking a quick glance at Valkyrie  
“Hey don’t look at me, I don’t have a clue either!” She hastily replied.  
“Well, there’s only one way to know,” Pulse added as he makes his way towards the aircraft waiting for them.

...

“Greetings I’m the commander of this base, I hope the flight isn’t too much to bear.” The commander greeted the six operators. “So would you all prefer if I refer to your codenames or is it call signs? Or are we on a first-name basis already?” He asked.  
The commander is a male who looks to be around the age of 25 or 27 based on his build, as it is impossible to see his face due to it being covered by a white mask. Slightly altered by this, the group continued to make mental notes about the commander, he seems physically fit, and his height is average, the group noted.

“Call signs would be best in public spaces. I’m Eliza, call me Ash.”  
“Jordan, call sign Thermite.”  
“Jack, but Pulse is fine.”  
“Call me Miles, but for your information Castle is my call sign.”  
“Great to meet you four, what about you two?” The commander questioned  
“Blackbeard.”  
“Valkyrie.”  
“Oh, they’re Navy SEALs so their names must be classified to non-SEALs and non-Rainbow.” Pulse added quickly before the awkward silence could sneak upon them. “What about you commander? You still haven’t told us about your name.”  
“Oh my apologies, as for my name… I don't have one, but I'm glad to meet you all.” He replied, “Well, let’s not waste any more time, please follow me I’ll give a quick tour around here before we move onto the main section.”  
“Hang on." Blackbeard called out, "Although Harry did some research and assured us I have to ask, what's with the white mask? And why don't you have a name, or are you just not willing to tell." Blackbeard questioned.

The commander first gave a confused look, analyzing the question before responding. "Oh, this?" He pointed at his mask, "this is to hide my scars from before I was a commander of Azur Lane. If you don't believe me, you can ask Harry, tell him to do some research on 'unit 13' as for my name… let's just say a soldier created for war will never need a non-combat name." He glanced at the two SEALs, then returned his gaze back to the FBI operators. "Any more questions about the mask?"  
"No, just making sure. Better safe than sorry after all." Blackbeard replied, leaving a slight silence between the group.  
"Well, I'm glad that's over. Is it ok if I call you X?" Thermite inquired.  
"Sure, umm… Thermite right?"  
"That is correct." He responds in a showman's voice.

"Well, if you all are ready, please follo-" The commander's request was abruptly interrupted by a voice down the halls.  
"Commander! Where are you? We have sorties to finish.“ The voice shouted from across the hall, “Ah! There you are… Ehhh?!” Surprised by the Rainbow operators, the voice quickly hid behind the commander’s back.  
“Ah, I forgot to tell you. We will have some visitors from today all the way till next week.” He whispered, then stared at the voice before speaking again. “Sorry for the interruption, this is my secretary, Enterprise.” He said towards the operators. 

Enterprise then slowly reveal herself. She had long white hair and the build of a model, which made Pulse whistle before being smack by Ash. Enterprise was wearing her standard uniform of a white sleeveless navy uniform, short black skirt with gold lacing around the bottom, and her signature black commander jacket, as well as a white navy cap.

“Wait, her call sign is Enterprise? As in the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise?” Blackbeard somewhat amused by her call sign.  
“Well… not exactly, she is the USS Enterprise.” The commander corrected, somewhat embarrassed. 

Not surprisingly, none of the operators believed it, the one who broke the silence was none other than Thermite. “You’re shitting me, right? There is no way that a ship that heav-“ Before he could even finish Thermite was quickly muffled by both Ash and Valkyrie as well as the commander himself. Leaving Pulse, Castle, and Blackbeard cracking a smile. “What the hell was that for?!” He exclaimed.  
“It doesn’t matter if she is the USS Enterprise or not, she is still a female! You don’t just criticize a girl’s weight like that.” Ash replied, with Valkyrie and Pulse nodding behind her.  
“As I was saying, she is, in fact, the USS Enterprise.”  
“Hello everyone, I am Enterprise from the Eagle Union!” She introduced.  
“Eagle Union?” Castle asked, a bit confused.  
“It’s the U.S.” The commander responded, “It’s used as a code name for countries so the Sirens won’t target the countries involved.”  
"Got it. If you don't mind, could we see the rest of the base?"  
"Absolutely! Sorry for the holdup. This way please."


	2. Day Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After arriving at the main base the six operators are left speechless, not because of the beautiful crystal blue ocean, nor soft white sands. But the overwhelming sight of hundreds of naval warships, the town-like naval base, and the overwhelming number of… girls? And what's with the commander's mask?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I hope you still enjoy reading this! So for this chapter, I tried to expand on the commander's story a bit so do tell how you think about it. Also, I added a couple more ship-girls and Rainbow operators I hope you enjoy continue reading!

“What. The. Fuck?!” Thermite couldn’t help but said out loud.

“I…I am… yeah, I couldn’t think of anything to say.” Pulse added.

Shocked by the mere scale of the naval base the six operators all stood dead in their tracks to take in the scenery. 

“So, what do you think of this base?” The commander asked, “Isn't it wonderful, full of life and freedom.”

“I have to agree, this is a beautiful place.” Valkyrie said, "X, I have to ask. Could you tell us more about you? Like what made you the commander of this base, and why is it a prototype base?"

"That's a lot of questions isn't it." He laughed before falling silent. The commander stood still for a moment, looking at the blue sky, recalling the past and answered. "I was part of the experimental soldier project, also known as 'unit 13.'" He paused, "our job is to handle any close-quarters combat on the battlefield, needless to say, we are pretty damn good at our job…" sighed, "I was chosen to be commander mainly due to my… effectiveness so to speak. As for the base itself, I think it's because of the community-like aspect of the base."

Both the operators and Enterprise all stood in one place. Quietly listening and taking in the commander's story.

The silence was broken by Blackbeard, "I'm sorry if this is not the best time to ask, but… when you said your effectiveness, do you mean your fatalit-"

"CRAIG!" Valkyrie shouted.

Startled by her calling his name, "...you're right, I'm sor-"

The commander interrupted. "Enterprise please leave for the moment."

"...how long..." she quietly replied.

"Twenty seconds. Twenty seconds is all I need."

Enterprise then slowly made her way away from the group and head towards her sisters. Hornet and Yorktown.

The commander making sure she is out of earshot before telling the six operators, "I've elimina… I killed a total of five hundred and sixty-eight people. Three hundred and five confirmed deaths, two hundred and sixty-three unconfirmed. I was captured and tortured two hundred and thirty times, none of them ever saw the light of day again… and for that, I was given the codename, 'Relentless.'"

The silence was not enough to describe the state of the group. A mix of sadness, despair, and pure fear filled the air. Thankfully Enterprise's return has disrupted the depressing space.

"Commander are you okay?" She asked.

"Yes, yes I'm fine thank you." He replied. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you all that." He said towards the six operators.

"No, it's my fault for bringing it up." Blackbeard corrected.

"Well, since you already his name, it's only fair that I tell you mine. My name is Meghan." She reached out to shake the commander's hand, which he returned.

"Let's change subjects, shall we? Ummm… you said you're Enterprise right?" Castle quickly asked.

"That's right! I am the USS Enterprise! Glad to meet you." She said as she tilted her hat

"Well, if you're Enterprise then what's that?" Castle said as he pointed towards an aircraft carrier sitting on the dock, "because that looks more like the real ship."

Enterprise looks at the massive aircraft carrier on the sea then looked back at Castle. Then, she smiled. "Oh, that?" She pointed, "that's my battle gear, and well, part of me!" She said cheerfully.

"Bullshit."

"Well Enterprise, are you going to just stand there and take it?" The commander said teasingly.

Embarrassed, Enterprise's face is now noticeably red. "Commander! You better be careful of that mouth of yours before I blast it off." As if on cue, the massive carrier started to slowly break apart into small blue cubes, attaching itself onto Enterprise. The shape of a carrier's launch pad slowly materializes on the side of her hip. As well as a longbow appearing in her left hand.

"Wow." The six operators said in amazement

"See. I am Enterprise." Enterprise replied as she gave a small twirl showing the rainbow operators.

"My my are you having fun without us?" A voice cried out from behind Enterprise.

"Hornet!? What are you doing here?" Shocked by her sister's appearance, she lost her balance. Lucky the commander was able to catch her before she fell on the ground. "W-what… oh… thank you, commander…" She said as her face became redder by the second.

Noticing this both Hornet and Thermite couldn't help but tease them a bit. "Aww, aren't you two cute together?" They said in synchronization before both of them were dragged away by both Yorktown and Ash respectfully.

Putting the now red hot Enterprise on her feet she couldn't help but cover her face. In which the commander and the rest of the group started to chuckle.

"S-stop laughing!" She said shyly

"Sorry, sorry. But you're just too cute not to Enterprise!" Valkyrie responded.

"Same here," Blackbeard added, with the rest of the operators nodding in agreement.

"I'm sorry Enty, but I have to agree. You were cute in my arms." The commander said teasingly.

Now hotter than the sun, Enterprise then ran into her sister Yorktown's embrace. "There there, you know the commander, he's always like this." Yorktown comforted her. "As for you commander… you know what happens if you made my sister cry don't you?" Her gaze fixed on the commander's eye with murderous intention, as if at anytime Enterprise were to drop a single tear, so would his life.

"Come on now it's all just light-hearted fun. Come on Enty, you know I'm just playing around." He quickly replied.

"The commander is kinda like Jäger isn't he?" Pulse commented.

"How so?" The now slightly bleeding Thermite asked.

"They're both childish in their own way, don't you think?"

"Umm, yeah I could see it."

"Really? He reminded me more about Vigil or Lion than Jäger." Said, Blackbeard.

"Why? Because of his story?" Ash asked.

"Hmm. Perhaps. Or you know, because of the mask." He replied, then sighed. "I just remembered we only have an hour left before we have to return to base."

"Shit! I completely forgot about it!" Thermite yelled

The commander noticed the group's slight depression offered a solution…

"Are you sure? You know you could die right?" Valkyrie said

"Don't worry, I only give Harry a heads up, so if worst comes to worst he'll be able to de-escalate the situation. Hopefully." The commander replied

"Honestly commander, couldn't you be more careful about yourself?" Enterprise added

"I have to agree with my sister, this 'plan' of yours is quite reckless," Yorktown exclaimed, with Hornet nodding non-stop.

"Don't worry about it! I'm more than capable of holding my own. Now," he looked at the six operators, "you said Rainbow is an international counter-terrorist group right? That means the Germans, French, and the Brits are there as well, correct?"

After what seems like the second version of operation Neptune, the six operators reluctantly agreed to the commander's ambitious plan.

"I never thought we're going to do this…" Pulse sighed

"Let's get going shall we?"

***  
"Hey look! The plane is back." Hibana yelled out

"Yes we know, we could hear it from a mile away. Well, let's go greet them back shall we?" Echo responded.

"Fookin' kids." Thatcher sighed

"What the…" Mute said quietly, then yelled out. "CODE RED, I REPEAT CODE RED."

"HOW THE FUCK?!" Shocked by the bloody interior of the plane, not to mention the five white masks surrounding the FBIs and SEALs at gunpoint.

"Hello everyone~," The commander said

"Who the fook are you! You're quite stupid to try and infiltrate the fookin' base." Thatcher interrogated while aiming his HK33 at the white masks.

"Come on~ I don't mean no harm~ just let us pass~" The commander responded. 

At this point, both Pulse and Thermite are trying their hardest not to smile nor laugh. As they knew if they did the whole plan would be ruined. Unfortunately for them, Hibana notices her boyfriend, Pulse's attempt and quickly came to the conclusion.

"Oh fuck off Jack!" Hibana yelled, in which Pulse started to laugh.

Before Thatcher could react to Hibana calling out Pulse's real name. Harry came to inform the remaining operators of the true identity of the male white mask. 

"So you're saying that he is the commander of Universe and a white mask?" Confused, Smoke couldn't help but ask.

"No you muppet! He is only the commander of Universe. The white mask is just to fuck with us all." Mute answered.

"Yeah, sorry about that." The commander apologized.

"Speaking of which, why are you still wearing that mask?" Jäger asked.

"It's a long story, I'll ask the Americans if I were you." He replied. "Ah! I just remembered, please follow me to your ship dock."

The remaining operators reluctantly followed the commander but soon completely forgot about the prank when they arrived.

"Holy shit…" Mute said quietly

"Is that…" Bandit and Blitz, amazed by the scene.

"Yup... it is, without a doubt," Thatcher replied

"That's… that's the Hood mate! It's the fooking HMS Hood!" Smoke said excitingly 

"And that's Bismarck! And Prinz Eugen!" Jäger added

"Mon Dieu, that's Dunkerque," Twitch said.

Suddenly four female figures emerged from the massive ships to greet the operators of Rainbow. The first one, a lady wearing a United Kingdom dress and a scaled-down version of Hood on her hat. The second, wearing a leather short skirt dress and a king's mantle. The third, a simple short dress, although simple, it is clear that there is nothing that covers the side of her chest. Making some of the male operators blush a bit. The last figure wore a dress while holding a saber in her hand.

"So these are the people the commander is talking about." The lady said.

"They look weak…" The second figure said

"Oh come on Bis! It doesn't matter if they're weak or not. What matters is that cute little French boy." The third figure said while pointing at the now confused Lion.

"Couldn't you watch your manners a bit, Eugen?" The saber wielder criticized.

To avoid repeating himself the commander gave Harry a document containing all the information the operators need to be up to speed with the "first wave." 

"You're telling me that that busty blond is the Bismarck." Smoke cried out.

"Watch it Mr. Pothead." Bismarck shot back

"You too Bis." The commander replied. "Sorry about that Smoke."

"No problem, also James is fine mate!" Smoke said

"Moving on," Thatcher suggested. "The lady is Hood correct?"

"Correct! I am Hood, the pride of the Royal Navy." Hood said excitedly.

"The teaser is Prinz Eugen, and the saber wielder is Dunkerque." He added

"Bingo~"

"Oui." 

Thatcher looking at the girls then the ships and sighed. "I'm too old for this shit…" he murmured. 

"Same here sadiqaa, same here…" Kaid agreed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
Mon Dieu => My God  
Oui => Yes  
Sadiqaa => My friend  
***  
Pictures for reference(AL):  
Bismarck => https://azurlane.koumakan.jp/Bismarck/Gallery  
Prinz Eugen => https://azurlane.koumakan.jp/Prinz_Eugen/Gallery  
Hood => https://azurlane.koumakan.jp/Hood/Gallery  
Dunkerque => https://azurlane.koumakan.jp/Dunkerque/Gallery  
***  
Picture for reference(R6):  
SAS(Thatcher, Mute, Smoke, Sledge) => https://rainbowsix.fandom.com/wiki/SAS  
GIGN(Rook, Doc, Twitch, Monty, Lion) => https://rainbowsix.fandom.com/wiki/GIGN  
FBI SWAT(Ash, Thermite, Castle, Pulse) => https://rainbowsix.fandom.com/wiki/FBI_SWAT  
Navy SEALs(Blackbeard, Valkyrie) => https://rainbowsix.fandom.com/wiki/Navy_SEALs  
GSG 9(Bandit, Jager, IQ, Blitz) => https://rainbowsix.fandom.com/wiki/GSG_9  
SAT(Echo, Hibana) => https://rainbowsix.fandom.com/wiki/SAT


	3. Days Offshore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because of the unexpected arrival of four ship-girls and their commander, some of the operators decided to host a siege simulation to demonstrate their skills. But the rest, have other plans for their guests...  
(A lot of google translate was used so the meaning might be redirected.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I did not expect an amateur writer like myself could survive in this mountain of fantastic writers and works. I thank you for continue reading and like always, enjoy!

"Nein! We mustn't waste such an opportunity just to show off!" Jäger exclaimed. "We should instead, take this chance and learn more about them!"

"I understand Marius, but this is also the chance we get to compare the differences between naval warfare and close quarters tactics." Bandit retaliated. "Plus, we get to see Bismarck in action!" He added with excitement in his voice.

"verdammte Kinder(damn children)..." IQ sighed, shaking her head at the two arguing GSG 9.

"den Mund halten(shut up)!" Jäger and Bandit quickly shot back.

The argument becomes more and more agitated with each word. Until it became so heated, in which Kaid and Thatcher had to drag them out of the common area, just to prevent the two causing an even bigger scene.

"Bloody hell, I didn't join Rainbow to become a babysitter…" Thatcher complained.

"If you think those two are tough to handle, just wait until Elias joins in on the fun," IQ smirked at the older SAS.

"Hey! Don't bring me into this. Besides, it was only one time! One!" Blitz retorted as laughter echoed throughout the living room. "You guys suck."

"Oh? Who sucks the most little Eli? Could it be me you're talking about?" Prinz Eugen asked teasingly while placing her hand in front of her mouth as if she was giving a blowjob. Causing the german to panic a bit.

"Eugen! Have some restraints won't you?" Hood criticized. "My sincere apology to you Mr. Kötz."

"P-please d-don't worry about it." He stutters. "And please, call me Elias."

After hours of non-stop conversations, light-hearted teasing and lost of inappropriate comments thanks to Eugen, the operators started to open up more towards the girls. Naturally, the girls started to open up as well.

"You see here mate? These are my special babies, my cute little toxic babes. Able to kill an average male in less than five seconds." Smoke cheerfully explained to the concerned and terrified Hood. It didn't help when he threw and released one at Sledge.

"Oi what the fuck mate!" Sledge coughed heavily.

"Don't worry. Those are the diluted versions, you'll be fine in no time." He laughed, which prompt Sledge to take a swing at Smoke with his hammer. "Owww…."

"That's what you get, you fucking muppet." Sledge replied.

"Although I understand, would you both please mind your language?" Hood stated.

"My apologies my lady," Thatcher replied as he shot a look at the two SAS.

"Speaking of which, I thought the HMS Hood had sunk during World War II." Mute ever so curious asked.

"That is true, so if you had already sunk, how come you are able to cruise the seas again? Let alone taking on a human form." Thatcher added.

Hood was silent, looking down at her cup of tea. Recalling her memories of the past

"I remember the cold of the ocean, the loneliness of the sea. I was alone, under the ocean drifting into sleep.” She paused. "Then, I was awake. Found. Rebuilt, all thanks to the reverse engineering of Siren technology, the ‘miracle cube.’” Tearingly, she finished.

“I…I’m sorry.” Mute with sorrow in his voice comforted.

“You don’t need to Mr. Chandar, it’s not your fault after all,” Hood assured, wiping her tears away and re-adjusting her posture. “Besides, I got the chance to meet you...”

“Oh~? Is the glory of the royal navy having a crush on a silent man?” Prinz Eugen teasingly interrupted. Causing both Mute and Hood to blush a bit.

“What about it mate?” Smoke said while nudging Mute, “Are you going to take her on a date if you could?”

“Alright, James cut it out. We don’t want to make our guests uncomfortable do we.” Sledge added while cheerfully slapped Mute’s back.

“What about you Hood? Are you going to show him what’s underneath that dress of yours~?” Prinz Eugen teased again, leaving a flustered Hood trying her best to cover her face.

“Alright, alright that’s enough of you three. Now leave before Mark puts a bullet in you two.” Thatcher ordered. Not surprising, the mischievous duo continued on their teasing and inappropriate jokes before Mute left the room, then returning with his shotgun in hand with murder in his eyes.

"James? Where are you going?" Mute smiling while loading his shotgun

"Um... nowhere! I'm just sitting here minding my own business. You know!" Smoke replied with cold sweat running down his head.

"What about you Prinz Eugen? Going anywhere?"

Unbothered by Mute's question she continued to tease him. "Maybe I'll be heading towards the bedroom~ oh wait, that's where you and Hood are going right~?" 

Then Eugen felt a cold metal cylinder pressed against her head. "Oh my Mr. Mute, are you that hard already?" Eugen continued

"That is not me Eugen." Mute smirkingly responded.

"Oh?... Oh…."

"Hello, Ms. Eugen. Care to explain yourself?" Hood asked while pressing her main battery against Eugen's head.

"Come on, we can talk about this..." 

"How about… no." Hood replied with the intent of revenge. Then she was interrupted by a voice from behind.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?" The commander interrogated. "I was gone for what two hours and Eugen already pissed off two people. Hood, put your batteries away." He sighed. Grudgingly, Hood agrees and lowers her main batteries while giving Eugen a death stare.

"Commander~ you're wrong~ Hood was bullying me!" The German cruiser insisted.

"That the most bullshit lie I've ever heard." Mute lowing his shotgun, replied.

"I have to agree there Eugen, you are one terrible liar." The commander sighed. "By the way Mute, why do you have a shotgun?"

"Don't worry, it's not for the ship. It's for that cunt over there." Mute pointed at the terrified Smoke curled up in a corner.

"Ah, I assume he joined in on the tease?"

"Yup. That he did." He paused, "So, is there any name you prefer us calling? Calling you 'commander' could confuse the Recruits of Rainbow.”

The commander thought about it before replying. “Well, I never had an official civilian name. The only name I was given was my codename, ‘Relentless’, and the nickname Jordan gave me, ‘X’, I believe.”

“Hmm, that’s tough mate…” Then, a light bulb was illuminated within Mute’s head. “We could ask some of the female operators for suggestions on your name!”

“I don’t know…”

“Why not? That could be entertaining, besides we agree with Mark. Calling you ‘commander’ would weird out some of us.” IQ interrupted with the rest of the female operators and ship-girls nodding in agreement.

“Hey don’t leave us out on this!” Jäger bolted in, dragging a sour-faced Bandit.

“Why am I a part of this…” Bandit murmured.

“Because you decided to fight over what we should do for today, and now we’re stuck together because of it!”

“No thanks to you Arschloch(asshole)!” Bandit yelled back.

“Shut the fook up you two!” Thatcher ordered, not being able to handle the stress of the two German crackheads. “Or would you like Lion to look over you two?” He added.

The two Germans quickly stopped arguing and acted friendly towards one another with cold sweat running down their backs, prompting both IQ and Doc to laugh about the situation. The rest of the operators, on the other hand, were confused as to why IQ and Doc laughed.

“Fuck you!” Bandit said as he flipped them off.

“Du Narr(you fool) Dominic!” Jäger urgently slapped Bandit’s hand before Thatcher could notice.

IQ stopped laughing continued, “Where was I?” She paused, “Oh right, as I said, we are more than willing to help find a name for you!”

"Alright… I have to admit, not quite a big fan of the idea. But, I'm willing to go with it."

"Well? What are we waiting for? Let's get to name the commander!" Eugen happily added.

"I'm not a pet you know."

"Nope. You are my little pet. Com~man~der~" 

"Oh for Pete's sake get a room!" Sledge playfully added.

*****  
The briefing room was tense, both attackers and defenders gathered around the oval table. Not a single sound could be heard, as stressful eyes gazed at each other. Finally, the silence was broken.

"I'm done! Every name I gave was either shot down or disregarded." Pulse exclaimed. "Not to mention Marius kept on insisting a last name… I mean for real, this man's head is probably thicker than Jordan's!" He pointed at Jäger. " Plus, there is no way in hell we can come up with a proper name for him with his nickname being 'X'."

"X is a great nickname! So you shut your mouth before I give you a Texas beatdown." Thermite retorted.

"'Texas beatdown' my ass." Pulse sighs. "Why 'X' anyway?"

"I don't know. Probably because it sounded cool when I first thought of it!"

"Or you were thinking about algebra." Smoke added.

"Hmm…. What about 'Xavier'? It's a common name in France, plus, it has a nice ring to it!" Twitch suggested.

"Xavier huh… never thought of that one. So, what do you think about the name?" Castle asked the commander.

"Xavier… Xavier… I could get used to it." He replied.

"Well, there it is. The commander will now be officially referred to as Xavier." Hibana announced. 

Soon, the news of the commander's new name was picked up by the ship-girls. Which, created an opportune moment for Eugen to further tease the commander.

"Commander Xavier~ where are you~?" She called out. "Bis, have you seen the commander? I still haven't had the chance to taste him after he got his new name."

"Why would you want to taste the commander? He's still the same weak commander we know." Bismarck shaking her head replied. "Besides, we should take the chance to understand more about this bas-" 

"Ah! There you are commander! You won't run away this time~" Eugen bolted away from the battleship when the commander was within sight.

"Ich habe Mitleid mit dem Kommandanten…(I feel sorry for the commander…)" Bismarck murmured before heading towards the commander.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you fine people can point out the errors of this work I'll be more than willing to change them! Also, I need ideas on what to write, so far the ones I have are related to the new Halloween events in both games. But if you have other ideas feel free to comment them! (I credit you for the idea don't worry :) )


	4. Halloween Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween is just around the corner, and the operators have decided to play a game of hide and seek with members of base Universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you all. I know, I know, I'm late to the party. And this short shit posting chapter isn't much help. But, I am working on a side story of the commander so do be on the lookout for it.

The cafeteria was quiet, a single beam of light shining down on the entrance. Mute is seen dressed in his uniform with a bowtie, holding a microphone.“Alrighty, ladies, and gents! Welcome to the annual Rainbow Halloween costume contest!” He announced excitedly. “Up first is the hunter of death… Kapkan!” On cue, Kapkan emerged from the hidden hatch on the ground, he was dressed in a traditional grim reaper’s outfit, his head, however, was a skull encased in iron bars.

“Ooo, scary. Now up next, the terror of the sewers, the peashooter of shit… Smoke!!”

“Well that’s a bit demoralizing isn’t it…” Smoke complained while emerging from a colored smoke grenade, wearing his custom made latex mask as he stood next to Kapkan.

“Moving on! Now we have the queen of terror, the mistress of the oni… Frost!”

Frost gracefully jumps down from the ceiling of the cafeteria, stumbling before Kapkan quickly moves in to catch her. “T-thank you…” She shyly replied.

“No worries, моя королева(my queen).” Kapkan, still holding on to Frost, gave a slight wink. In which Frost responded by giving him a playful punch.

“What the Fuck did you say to her?!” Buck, like an overprotective brother, quickly storms to the stage.

“Sébastien!” Frost yelled. “I should’ve told you this earlier, but…” She sighed, “Maxim and I… we’re a thing now.”

Buck along with the rest of the cast was first in disbelief, but the disbelief quickly evaporated when Kapkan gave Frost an intimate kiss. Leaving Frost feeling hotter than the sun.

“W-what?” Mute shocked by the sudden change of events was left speechless. “Umm… Alrighty…. Next, we have… I’m sorry mate I can’t finish this.” 

“That’s alright.” Both Lesion and Ela replied as they exited out of the fake floor.

“Aw man! I was waiting for our turn.” Pulse mumbles as he broke through the soft wall with a hammer in hand, along with Jackal, Lion, and Sledge all sighing in disappointment.

“Aw come on love! No need to be embarrassed.” Hood quickly approached and hugged Mute.

“Oi mate! This is Halloween! Not fuckin’ Valintine’s day.” Mozzie drunkenly shouted.

“Get your ass off that table!” Thatcher, enraged at the short SASR, commanded.

“What are you gonna do about it Old Man!” 

“That’s it! Seamus! Drag this bloody midget of the table!”

“Who ya callin’ shor-“ Before he could finish, Mozzie was knocked unconscious by Gridlock, shaking her head.

“Dear me, how did you manage to be Lozza’s husband. Imagine if she was here… again she has the same enthusiasm as you.” Gridlock complained as she dragged Mozzie to the couch.

“Well, now the mood of the costume contest is destroyed thanks to you two.” Ela pointed at the two love birds. “Can we still play hide and seek?”

“I don’t see why not.” The commander excitedly responded.

Bismarck, shaking her head. “Honestly, the commander is really a child at heart isn’t he…”

"Hey!... Yeah, you're right." 

"Well? What are you mucking about for? Let the games begin!" Smoke eagerly replied as he slapped the commander's back

"Oh c'mon! That's just cheating, I mean, using your heartbeat sensor. Not cool man!" Ela bitterly protested.

Pulse responded by simply sticking his tongue out. Which, earned him a full punch by the younger Bosak. "Oww!"

"Idiota(idiot)!" 

"Arrêter de se disputer(stop arguing)!" Lion quickly stepped in separating the two. "I don't understand, it's only a friendly game of horror hide and seek. What's there to fight about?"

Ela, not wanting to get into a fistfight with the french operator reluctantly back away. "Well, first off you have a fucking drone. Second, that egg with sunglasses has a heartbeat sensor." 

Before Lion could even speak, Eugen starting to burst out laughing. "An egg with sunglasses! That's a good one!" 

"Oh fuck off."

"Eugen! Remember, we are technically guests. So keep the laughter at a minimum, no matter how good that comment is." The commander ordered, much to Eugen's disappointment.

"Only if you spend the night with me. Com~man~der~" She winked 

The commander with pure disappointment on his face took off his special Halloween mask and exiting through the main door. "That's it! I'm done. Enjoy the rest of the night everyone, I can't take this shit anymore." Then, he left. Never to be seen again… until the next day that is.


	5. Commander's Mask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I remember that day like any other. I remember the smell of death, the taste of blood and iron, the feeling of despair, and the silence of the night. This was the day I became known as "Relentless."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter will contain some violence, mainly torture. But don't worry, this will not affect the main story too much.

"As soldiers of the 13th division, we only have a single purpose. To tear the enemy command structure from the inside." Our commanding officer informed us. "It is your responsibility to execute or capture any and all witnesses during a mission." He paused, "Any questions?"

I raised my hand. "Any and all witnesses, sir?" I was still a wide-eyed recruit, full of Justice, sense of honor, and above all else. Humanity.

"You're damn right soldier,  **any and all** witnesses must be either captured or executed." He studied my face. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir."  _ Those were the last words I ever told the officer. _

…

"C'mon you muppets! Faster! Faster!!" Our squad leader, like usual, trains us every day with his magical words of encouragement. "Hey you!" He pointed at me. "Why the fook are you slowing down! I don't remember giving the order to do so."

"No, sir. Sorry, sir."

"Good. Now move it!"

_ Training wasn't hard, in fact, it's easier than you would expect. Then again, I did start training the moment I held an M4. _

_ … _

"Oi mate. You up?" Jackson, my first friend when I transferred into the 13th division.

_ Son of a bitch I could never get any rest can I? _

"Yeah, why?"

"'Muppet lover' wants to see you in his office." 

_ 'Muppet lover' was the nickname we gave to our squad leader, his real name is Anderson. Charming I know. _

"Christ, what did I do this time?" 

"No idea mate. But whatever you did, he seems pretty troubled by it."

_ Well, that's a first. _

I sighed, reluctantly getting out of my bed. "Well shit. I'm fucked."

…

_ Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. _

I knocked on his door, and to tell you the truth. I was god damned terrified. " Come in."

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

_ God what a surprise it was when I first opened the door. There were three people in that room, me, our leader, and the fucking general of the 13th division. I nearly shat myself. _

I saluted the general. "As you were soldier."

I couldn't help myself to be frank with you. "Is there something I did wrong sir?" I was shitting myself at that point.

"No, no. It's not what you did mate. It's what  **you're** about to do that is worrying me." Our leader responded.

Needless to say, I was confused. Fortunately, or in this case, unfortunately. The general noticed my confusion. "You see son, we have a special mission for you. Now, you can choose to accept it or not. But remember this, once you have chosen, there's no backing out." 

"Could I first hear the details?"

"It's all in this file." He holds up a brown file bag with a match attached to it. Then, he placed it on the table.

_ I'll tell you this, that file was about two pounds. When I picked it up though, it  _ ** _felt_ ** _ like a ton. And after reading through the file I knew why I was picked for this mission. _

"So? Are you in or out?" Anderson asked me

"I'm in."

…

"It is my duty as our squad commander to inform you that  .... has been assassinated by an unknown person."

_ A rifle has never felt better in my hands than today. _

"As we know he was an incredible soldier, risking his life to save others."

_ I dropped out of the air, then landed on enemy territory. There is no backup, no communication. There's only me and the unknown. _

"To many, he was an annoying little brother we never wanted. But, he was also a person we could open up to."

_ How many bullets have I shot? A hundred, a thousand? Doesn't matter, as long as I keep switching weapons from the terrorist I'll never run out. _

"As some of you may know, he does not have a biological family."

_ Well shit. I ran out of ammo. At least I still have my knife… time to get to work on these assholes. _

_ "So to him and us, we have lost a family member." _

_ Fuck. A bullet hit my leg. _

"Fortunately, we do have a lead on the murderer."

_ I can't move my body… it's getting darker… and cold… is this what death feels like?... I'm tired… _

"His name is…"

_ Huh, a light… I don't feel the wound hurting again… why do I hear people talking? _

"...Hyde Ahmanet. The leader of the terrorist group known as; 'The Forgotten.'"

…

"We should execute him! He's too dangerous to be kept alive!" A deep voice yelled out.

"He might have information! Who knows, he could even be part of 'Phantom' for all we know." Another cried out, sounds like a female.

"He killed two hundred and fifty four men. Two hundred and fifty four fucking men!"

"That's exactly why we should keep him alive! If he's not part of Phantom, then we can sure as hell get some information out of him!"

"Both of you shut the fuck up!" A well dressed man walked up to me. "Can't you see that he is awake."

_ Then they turned around, I don't remember their face but I do know one thing. The man in the suit was wearing a white mask with a black smile. _

"I see our little pig is awake." The female was the first to speak.

"I'm not a bloody pig." Bad idea, the next thing I knew I got kneed in the gut.

"What's that? I don't understand pig talk, say it again?"

"Fucking hell, get that ear checked, will you? I can't talk to a deaf cunt." Then I got pistol whipped right on the face.

"Who you calling a cunt?!"

"Oh look, the cunt has a mouth." 

_ I couldn't tell how many times I was beaten, ten? Twenty? Or was it fifty times? All I know was the fact that part of my cheek was burned. _

"Are you done Sunny?" The suited man asked her.

Now painting, she responded. "Yeah, yeah. For now at least."

"I have to say, son, you are a special case, aren't you? Normally a hostage would keep his mouth shut, but you my friend, you decided to insult your captors." He took off his mask, revealing a man near his sixties with a scar from his forehead across to his left jaw.

"Shit, now we have to kill him." The other man complained as he drew his pistol.

"Come on, don't be so rash now. Let's give him to Lector, see how long he'll last before breaking." The woman suggested.

"Ooo, good idea." The man then looked at what I presume is the boss. "Can we?" 

"... I bet an hour."

"An hour? You have some high hopes for this pig." She responded. "I'd bet on him lasting no more than ten minutes. What about you babe?" She looked at the other man.

"First I want to know what we're betting on." He looked at the boss.

"Me? I'll say… if I lose, you two get a private room." As soon as he said that both had their jaws dropped.

"You're kidding right?" She asked

"No, I'm not joking at all."

"Holy shit… a private room for the two of us babe!"

"I know!... What if, in the unlikely event he lasted more than an hour?" The young man asked.

"Then, let him go."

"WHAT?!" The man and woman both yelled in shock.

"Sunny, you said he killed like what, one hundred men?" 

"Two hundred and fifty four men, boss." She corrected.

_ Are they insane? Do I not have a say in this bullshit? Well, yeah I don't but still. Just letting me go? That is impossible. Right? _

"Alright, I'll accept the bet." The man looked at me. " Good luck! I'll warn you, Lector can make even the most well trained SAS spoil everything."

_ Then I was knocked out cold, after what feels like hours a splash of ice cold water hit my face. _

"Hello~" The man whom I presume is my torturer greeted me.

"Fuck off." Just as I finished he grabbed my tongue and placed a knife on my palate.

"Oh no, we don't allow foul language in this family." He slit my tongue without hesitation, then he started to treat the wound. "Don't worry~ I'll take good care of you~"

…

_ I never knew how many places on a human body can be broken until today. The madman tortured then treated me, over and over again.  _

_ My hand was completely broken, all swollen and purple, to the point that even a single mosquito could cause me to go into shock.  _

_ I no longer have a left eye, it was scooped out of my socket by a spoon, it's still dangling on my cheek just so he could pull on it from time to time. _

_ My face is completely unrecognizable, it was cut, burned by fire and acid, then stitched. Just to repeat the process over and over again. You'd say I look like Freddy Kruger about now. The same goes for my back and chest. _

"Okay~ you're time is up!" He said as he grabbed a knife from the rack.

_ That's when I broke free from my restraints. _

"Oh m-" 

_ Kill him. Make him suffer. That's the only thing circulating my mind as I broke free. I felt no pain, only revenge. _

_ Then, I pounced on him. Knocking him down to the ground, biting his arm, tearing his flesh apart until bone could be seen. And enjoying his screams of terror. _

"Please… stop!!!" He begged.

_ What a bitch, he can dishout torture but can't take them? How pathetic. So naturally I disregarding his pled, continued to tear his flesh with my teeth. First his fingers, the same one that took my eye. Then moved on to his other arm. _

"No, not my face!"

_ A bone saw is perfect for this, slowly sawing his nose off, slowly cutting his face then tearing it off just to force him to eat it. _

"Mmmmph." At this point, he was crying in pain and vomiting on himself.

_ Then his leg, one Chunk at a time… after skinning him of course. After I had my fun I decided to end his miserable life. I went to his medical table and grabbed a used syringe. _

"No.."

_ I grabbed a cup of water from the table not too far left. _

"Please just slit my throat!"

_ I inserted the syringe into the cup of ice cold water, twenty millimeters of water, ten millimeters of air. Enough to kill a man, enough to make him suffer as well. _

"No. No. Please No." He started to crawl with his left arm, or more accurately, his left bone.

_ Without hesitation, I jammed the needle into what's left of his leg. _

_ Seconds later he started crying and coughing blood, then he finally died. To be on the safe side I smashed his head with a cinderblock. _

…

"What's taking Lector so long?" The woman stood impatiently.

_ Revenge, make them pay for what they did. _

I slammed the door open, charging straight at her with the bone saw.

_ Three seconds, it takes three seconds for a person's fight or flight response to kick in. _

"What th-" I quickly sliced her throat open, blood sprayed on my face, leaving her gasping for air. I then ditched my weapon for her 1911.

"Hey babe what's with the noise?" The man asked. 

_ I waited for him to open the door, he stood in shock. First glanced at his dead girlfriend, then back to me. That's when I took the shot. Unsurprisingly, I missed, but the second and third didn't. One in the chest, the other in his eye. _

"AHHH SHIT! FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK."

_ I moved in closer to deliver the final shot, right in-between his forehead. All that's felt was the man in charge. _

_ Then, I heard clapping from behind.  _ "Impressive. But unfortunately, you'll still die. And I will live on, laughing over your dead body, maybe even give it to someone to fuck it." He raised his pistol.

_ Ten meters, that's the distance between us. I knew I was a goner, there is no way to miss a ten meter shot. I closed my eyes and braced for death. I felt a bullet entering my gut. Then, another shot, but I felt nothing else. _

"Target eliminated." A voice shouted. "Hang on. We have a survivor!"

"Friendly?" Another voice asked.

"We can't be sure, but whoever he is. They wanted him, just look at those torture marks." 

"You think he's the one that killed those guys outside?"

"We'll see."

…

"Then, the rest is history. I told them who I was after the general showed up beside them. Got a spot in the 13th special forces division, along with my codename, Relentless. I joined mission after mission, then got honorably discharged for the sake of my mental health. And now, I'm the commander of base Universe." I told the operators sitting within the locked briefing room.

Jäger was the first to ask any questions. "Do.. any of the girls know this?" 

"No, and I don't wish them to know. As far as they know I'm just a commander with only two years of experience."

"But-"

"Jäger, I understand. But please, don't tell them. I do not wish to worry them…"

"... I see, don't worry, I won't."

Then Doc approached me, "Xavier right? If you need someone to talk to, I am always available at my office."

"Thanks a lot."

"Now that we got to know you and what you're capable of. How about a little friendly competition eh?" Smoke suggested, trying his best not to hide his excitement.

"I don't see the harm in that, but note. I am a bit rusty." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello mates! So how was this chapter? I tried something new with my writing style and I feel pretty decent about it. Like always, do let me know if there are any errors or chapter ideas you would like to see in the future! See you later.


	6. Silent Love

Jäger, sitting in the cafeteria, staring at his plate of food like a hawk looking for prey. Unknown to him, Bandit started to approach him. “Marius, what the fuck are you doing? If you aren’t eating then, why are you here?”

Looking up at the bearded German next to him, Jäger sighed in frustration. “You see that brit over there?”

“Who? Thatcher?”

“Nein! The one with tape on his gas mask!”

“Mark? What about him?" He then looked at Jäger, currently staring at Mute talking to Thatcher. "...You don’t have a crush on him, do you?“

Jäger then stood up and placed his hand on Bandit’s shoulder while shaking his head. “Bist du verdammt dumm(are you fucking stupid)? No, I don’t have a fucking crush on him. I’m telling you, that Brit is acting strange.”

“Wie der Fick weiß ich(How the fuck do I know)?" Bandit shrugged off Jäger's hand then sighed. "Marius, why are you like this? The last time I remembered you acting weird was when our acogs were banned in war games."

"Don't talk about the acogs!" He sniffed. "That was my pride and joy! Running out, getting kills, and annoying the shit out of the attackers… All gone in one day! One day!..." Jäger, now in tears was quickly comforted by Bandit to avoid him causing an even bigger scene.

Despite Bandit's effort. Mute took notice of the two's conversation and approached them. "What the fook is going around here? Why is Marius crying like a baby?"

Bandit not wanting to upset nor spoil his friend's master plan, mouthed the word 'acog', which Mute understood immediately. "Really? That again? Blimey mate, it's been like what, two, three years now? And he's still upset about the aco-"

"Shh!"

"Right. Sorry."

Jäger, now fully recovered from his acog-less PTSD. Proceed to his previous staring at Mute, "Mark be honest with me here… who are you dating?"

Caught off guard by the question, Mute took a step back as he studies Jäger's face. "H-how the bloody hell do you know that?! I didn't even hold her fookin' hand mate! What are you, a spy?" Mute interrogated, as he was both horrified and impressed at Jäger's special ability.

"I didn't. I only asked you a simple question, and you responded." Jäger now trying to hide his smile. "So, who is it? Twitch? Frost? Don't tell me it's Monika!" 

Mute was speechless for a moment as he fell for the oldest trick in the book. He sighed before replying back to the wide-eyed German. "C'mon you know how bloody close Twitch and Cav is. And being on Cav’s list means death, a slow one too.”

“And Frost?” Jäger asked

“She’s with Kap!” Bandit replied before Mute could even open his mouth.

Mute now shaking his head in disbelief. “Mate, do you even remember the Halloween party?! You know, the one where they killed the bloody atmosphere of the fookin' costume contest when Kap gave Tina a bloody french greeting? Surely you remember."

“I wasn’t there!” Jäger shouted. “So, what about Monika?”

“Monika? Isn’t she dating that shield wielding wanker?” Mute responded

“Who, Gilles?”

“No, the one on your team.”

“**ELIAS?!**” The two German operators yelled in shock.

“Who else would it be. He’s the only one crazy enough to strap flash grenade strips onto his shield.”

Jäger now realizing he’s steering away from his goal quickly asked Mute one final question, “So, who’s the lucky girl?”

“Now why in the bloody hell would I tell you who my fookin' date is?”

“Oh, his date would be me!” A voice cried out innocently behind Mute’s back.

Both GSG9 peek their heads out far enough to see the figure behind Mute. Needless to say, the two were shocked by who they saw. Bandit was the first to voice his surprise. “So you’re telling me the person you’re dating has the ability to destroy the entire base if she so chooses.”

“In a way… sure…” He replied nervously. 

“Darling~ I would recommend you start choosing your words **very** carefully~” She smiled at Mute.

“But still, I never thought you would be daring enough to date one of the girls at Universe. Let alone, Hood. No offense.” Bandit quickly added

“Same here.” Finally getting over the shock, Jäger agreed with his fellow GSG9 operator.

"Don't worry about it! In fact, I'm quite glad that I am lucky enoug-" 

"Oi! What the fook are you three mucking about for? We have a bloody war game coming up!" Thatcher informed the trio, not noticing Hood standing behind them. "Well? What are you three still standing around for!? MOVE YOU MUPPETS!"

"Mr. Baker, could you please mind your language? I understand military personnel have a more… colourful way of speaking, but that shouldn't be the case when a lady is around." Hood then slowly and gently push Mute out of her way to confront Thatcher. 

Thatcher, initially surprised by the sudden appearance of the British battleship quickly regained his posture. “Ah, Hood. Sorry I didn’t notice you. My apologies.” Thatcher then shot a look at Mute, who is trying to hide his smile. “Since we’re all part of the Rainbow-Universe family, shall we share the good news of you two’s relationship? What do you say Mute?” He smirked.

Hood eagerly answered, “What a marvelous idea!”

“No, no. Bad idea. Really really bad idea.” Mute panicky responded.

“Why my darling?”

“I could care less about most operators, nor the girls at Universe. But Grace will completely kill me.”

“Mark. Who is this ‘Grace’ you’re talking about…” Hood’s smile slowly starts to fade.

Not wanting his fellow SAS to meet certain death, Thatcher quickly stepped in to inform Hood. “Grace is one of the 707th operators. She has dirt on almost everyone except Me, Nokk, Cav, Sledge, your commander, Harry, Goyo, Amaru, and of course Mute.”

Hood nodding understandably at Thatcher’s explanation, “I see… unfortunately, Eugen is the same as well… but that doesn't mean we have to keep our relationship a secret."

Mute rubbing the back of his neck responded, "I guess you're right… I'm just hoping she's not going to be the first to find out."

"Too late!" Dokkaebi, leaning against the cafeteria door holding her signature tablet. "I have to say, you two are a cute little couple."

"I have to agree, I never thought you'd enjoy being with someone other than the commander." Eugen resting her elbow on Dokkaebi's shoulder. "Then again, the commander's never been interested in anyone has he." She sighed.

"He really is like Vig, isn't he? Except the 'always being wary of others' part."

"Enough with the chit chat. Why the fook are you two here?" Mute looked around the cafeteria. "And where in the bloody hell is Jäger and Bandit!"

"They went to the lockers," Dokkaebi replied. "As for why we're here, isn't it obvious? I got a tip from a very reliable source that a certain Brit is dating one of the girls at Universe. So, here I am." 

Eugen then slowly approached the couple before being blocked by Thatcher. "Oh~? Is the father trying to protect his son?" 

Thatcher, not moved by Eugen's comment replied, "First off, I'm not his father. Secondly, your commander is looking for you." He pointed at the figure standing next to Vigil.

"Eugen! How many times do I have to remind you not to wander off when on duty?" He then looked at Hood. "The same goes for you."

"야! 내 태블릿을 돌려줘!(Hey! Give me my tablet!)" Dokkaebi yelled as she kept on trying to grab her tablet out of Vigil's hand.

Vigil, almost scoldingly replied to Dokkaebi, "당신이 성인처럼 행동하기 시작하지 않으면 나는 그것을 반환하지 않습니다(I will not return it unless you start acting like an adult)." Finally giving in, he returned the tablet back to her.

"Thanks, Xavier's older brother." She says grinning as she exited the cafeteria with Eugen quickly behind.

"I guess we should stop wearing our masks on base huh?" The commander jokingly said.

"I guess we should-" 

"Oh fook me!" Mute yelled at his phone.

"Dear, there is no need for you to be that upset about a photo… excuse me for a bit…"

Thatcher, Vigil, and the commander, ever so curious, approached the terrified Mute holding his phone. "What's the matter, Mark?" Thatcher asked.

Mute without saying a word showed the picture he received to the trio. 

"I… I'll report to Harry… don't forget the training later yeah?" Thatcher said as he shook his head.

"DOKKAEBI! YOU'RE **DEAD I TELL YOU!**” Vigil for the first time in the year, yelled across the hall as he stormed out of the room.

The commander stood disappointed, then quickly followed Vigil out of the room. "Eugen~! C'mon, don't hide from me~ I just want to... teach you a lesson..."

After everyone had left the room, Mute stood alone quietly as he looked down at his phone, then sighed. "Fookin' hell…" he said to himself before heading towards the war game locker room, getting ready for his first match of the day.


	7. From Dusk to Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Due to the sudden attack on the naval base, Universe, conducted by the White Masks, Rainbow is sent to assist the commander in retaking the base; where some learned what it takes to be called "Relentless."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like before, I'm still trying to find a writing style that fits me. So this chapter is kind of an experiment, hope you enjoy.

In the dead of night, amongst the operators of team Rainbow, tension was at an all-time high due to the news of the White Masks’ appearance in the naval base, Universe. “So…. what are you going to do?” Thatcher asked calmly. 

“I….I don’t know!” The commander lashed out, “I know the girls are more than capable of defending themselves on sea, but their strengths on land are significantly limited.” He then took off his mask, inspecting it. _A fucking white mask, just like them._ He thought to himself, “It’s funny, isn’t it? The first time I met you all is with a White Mask prank. Now, it’s becoming a reality...”

Vigil then placed his black 707 ballistic mask next to the commander, “Your mask may be white, but you aren’t one of them. All operators here can agree on that, sure we are wary of you and your team at first, but after a month we truly viewed you as part of Rainbow.”

“That's a lot, especially from Vigil.” Blackbeard commented, “I still remember the first time when you arrive at base. The only person you are willing to talk to was either me or Dokki.”

“That was a year ago.” Vigil shot back.

“We’re getting off-topic.” Kaid reminded the two, “That begs the question, are you going to join us for the siege on your own base?”

The commander without hesitation, “Of course! I’m not going to just sit back and watch.” He paused, “Even if that means showing who I was back then to the girls, but there is no way in hell I will just simply stay here and hope for the best!”

“Now, the question we’re asking is who are we sending to fight them?...” Harry questioned.

“The base is covered in cameras so expect the terrorist using it to their full advantage. Not to mention the tight corridors and short hallways, so I won’t recommend bringing an acog.” The commander added. Hoping to give Harry and the operators an idea of the base’s structure. “HQ will also send two teams to support us.”

“I see…. do we have an idea of how many of them are on base?”

“Hold on,” Dokkaebi, quickly typed on her laptop. “There, got the cams! And it seems like there are at least sixty or seventy of them. From the looks of things more are coming over sea and air, it looks like they’re trying to hold the base.”

“Fuck…” It was rare to hear Harry truly worrying about things, let alone swearing. “If that’s the case we might have to send both attacking and defending teams to secure the base.”

After hours and hours of non-stop arguments and compromises, the operators were finally able to finalize a workable plan of attack and defend. “The attacking team is composed of two groups; Breaching and Assault teams.” Thatcher gripping onto his emp grenade like a stress ball, “The defending team will drop in after we secure the main communications room. Any questions?”

Everyone knew their part. Thatcher spoke again, "Good." He then faced the commander, who is looking at the plans, "How are you holding up?"

"To be honest, I feel at home." He turned to face the senior SAS, "But, I can't shake off the feeling of worrying the girls you know?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be fine." Thatcher now looking at the commander wearing his standard white uniform and sighed, "Can you move in them?"

Now looking up and down, the commander shook his head before replying back, "I would grab my combat uniform, but that's in the guest dorm."

"Aww, don't want to wake the princesses up do ya?" Smoke said jokingly.

"Oh fuck off. I'll grab it don't ya worry."  
…

As expected, the guest dorm's light was off, it is three am after all. The commander along with Mute was trying their best not to disturb the sleeping girls within. "So, why the fook am I here too?" 

"You're dating Hood, aren't you? That's an excellent excuse we can give to the girls should we get caught."

Mute, visibly annoyed at the commander's reasoning, "An excuse by portraying me as a horny teen sneaking in to see his girlfriend, while the horrible guardian agrees to help. Is that correct?" 

Not willing to argue with Mute and risk waking the entire dorm. The commander gave a slight nod and a heavy sigh.

"With that said, why are we at the girl's side?" Mute added

"That's because Belfast insisted that my combat uniform should not be worn without her supervision..." 

"Are you fookin' kidding me right now? Not only are we risking valuable time by sneaking around, but we also have to essentially steal your clothes back?" Mute sighed, "Let's just get this over with as soon as possible."

"Agreed. Anyway, we're here." Standing in front of Belfast's door, the duo not knowing what to do next, stood completely still in front of the door.

"What are the chances of getting caught?"

"Should be pretty lo-"

"Darling? And…. Commander? Sorry I couldn't recognize you without your mask." Hood interrupted, "What are you two doing here at this time?"

The commander quickly nudged Mute, "Um…. Ah fook it, we have a mission to do and he," Mute pointed at the commander, "needs his uniform from Belfast's room." 

Hood was silent for a moment, trying her best not to show her concerns for the commander. "Darling I know you are capable of fighting… but the commander only has two years of experience! And none of them are combat-related!" 

"Here, don't open it until the defending team is dropped… and make sure that all the girls are awake before you read it, yeah?" The commander handed a brown file to the worried battleship. "Could you help me get my uniform?"

Hood nodded as she entered Belfast's room and returned holding a simple dark olive-colored military uniform, black combat boots, and gloves, along with a pilot's helmet.

"Appreciate it." 

….  
"Y'all ready?" Thermite asked the attacking team, with all of them nodding their heads. "On your mark old man."

Thatcher chuckled at the comment by his American operator replied, "Try and keep up." He puts on his gas mask as the helicopter pilot announced them nearing the drop zone, "Alright everyone, ready up!"

**_Hey girls, if you are reading this then that means there is a high chance of me getting killed. As you know I am terrible with words, but I'll try my best to express my thoughts and hope I can... explain my story, my true story before I was the commander of Universe._**

" I need all of the ships to come over at the guest dorm!" Hood announced over the speaker, "This is an emergency…"

**_I was a soldier, a damn good one if I do say so myself. And that came at the cost of childhood, you see I started training when I was four… and my first kill at eighteen._**

"CONTACT! CONTACT! Enemy spotted at cafeteria hall." Thermite cried out while shooting back.

A hell of bullets came raining at their location, giving the Rainbow operators no chance of firing back. "I need some fucking help here!" Thermite yelled out again.

**_Since my discharge from the special forces, I have a total of three hundred and five confirmed kills give or take a few…_**

"What's up?" Enterprise cheerfully asked. "Hood, are you okay?" She was worried, every ship was. It's rare to see Hood losing her posture, let alone crying.

"I'm afraid not, Enterprise." She wiped her tears away as she showed all the girls the brown file, "It's from the commander…"

**_As for the reason of my mask, I always jokingly said because I was too handsome. But in reality, it was to hide the disfigurement of my face… _**

"Thermite, I got you!" The commander, gracefully scaled the side of a broken wall, trying to dodge the shots fired at him. Finally, he landed next to Thermite. "How ya doing?"

"Not fucking great man. I think I got shot."

"Where?" The commander asked as Thermite then pointed to his left leg. "Finka! You got any bandages and alcohol? Thermite's injured!" Finka then tossed a simple field first aid kit to the commander, "Thanks."

"Ow fuck!" Thermite cried, "Shit, that hurts."

"You good?" 

"I can still fight." Thermite then looked at the commander, "You look like a fucking urban stormtrooper."

"So I've been told..."

**_If I do survive the mission, I'll promise to answer all your questions. Knowing that the chances are slim, I'll answer the most asked. Starting from you Eugen;_**

"What… what do you mean the commander is fighting!?" Eugen lashed out, "Did you even try and stop him!?"

"Eugen, calm dow-" 

"I will not! Have you seen the commander? He could barely run ten laps! Ten laps!"

**_You always asked me why I never go out with you or anyone, to be honest, it's simple really. I don't want anyone to treat me differently once they knew my story._**

"What the fuck is that?!" One of the white masks called out.

"I don't know! Just shoot it!" Another one cried out.

"Hey, I gotta reloa-" The white mask was quickly silenced by the commander before moving on to his buddy.

"Don't come any closer! I-I surrender, I surrende-" In the blink of an eye, his body dropped to the floor.

"That lad really is something else." Sledge commented as he continues reloading his shotgun. "Well? Are we going to just sit here and let the lad fight them all? No! Let's show him what team Rainbow is made up of!"

**_I hope to see all of you again, in the flesh. But knowing the mission, the chances aren't looking good for me. Xavier, signing off._**

"Is that really all he wrote?" Bismarck asked.

"That's all he wrote…" Belfast replied, "How long has it been?"

"Three days after the defending team was dropped. Yet still no sign of either team…" Hood told the group. "Commander and darling…" she murmured.  
…  
"Mira!" Tachanka yelled out as a bullet struck his lover square on the chest. "Answer me! C'mon!" He said tearingly, "no...No! No! No!"

"Tachanka! Focus on the enemy! I'll get her to Doc, I promise. No matter the cost." The commander took off his helmet as he looked at the Russian in the eye. "I promise, no matter the cost I will get her to Doc."

"Спасибо, мой друг(Thank you, my friend)..." He wiped out his tears as he returned fire, killing and injuring countless White Masks. "Go!"

The commander then swiftly wore his pilot helmet as he picked Mira up. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you get to see the Lord himself again." He said silently while moving through seas of White Masks firing at them. A bullet then hit the commander on his right arm, another at his left leg and grazed his neck. Now only able to use one hand, he drew his smart pistol and quickly discharged the entire magazine onto the skulls of each terrorist. Bleeding heavily, he slowly starts losing consciousness.

"Xavier! What the fuck happened to you!?" Glaz yelled from his tower. Created from the grey sea of rubble before shifting his focus on Mira. "Doc! Get your ass over here! We have two injured."

"Mon Dieu(My God!)! Quickly! Someone help me get them to the medical bay!" The French man ordered as a team of EMT personnel rushed to help the two injured.

The commander removed his helmet as he stumbles towards the French doctor, "Mira…. Help her first, my wounds can wait…. Just help her…." He collapsed in the blink of an eye in front of the doctor.

"I see you made a promise… don't worry Xavier, I'll do my best to make sure that promise is not broken." Doc whispered as he gently picked Mira up while the EMTs carefully place the commander on a stretcher.  
…  
"Elena…" the Russian carefully approached his lover lying in bed. "You're safe now, please don't move too much."

"Of course I am estúpido, you're here with me." She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave a passionate kiss, "Thank you for carrying me here."

"I can't take the credit, it was that man next to you who did it." Tachanka pointed at the comatosed commander wrapped in blood-soaked bandages. "It was him that took you from no man's land to here."

Mira stared at the commander in surprised before shifting her focus back to Tachanka. "Why? Why would he risk his life just to save me?"

Tachanka gently patting Mira's head, "Do you forget who we are? We risk our lives every day fighting terrorists. And everyone in Rainbow is willing to help each other out, no matter how difficult it may be." He moved in to hug her, comforting the now tearing Spanish operator.

"Ahem." Doc in his lab coat approached the couple, "If I may, could I speak to specialist Álvarez in private?"

"Of course," Tachanka replied as he exited the medical bay.

"Thank you. Now, Mira, how are you feeling right now?"

"Could be better, my abs and left shoulder still hurts a bit." She looked at the bloody figure next to her, "How about him? What's his status?"

Doc then flipped through his clipboard, "Let's see here… Spector-" 

"Wait, Spector? I thought he was known as 'Relentless'?"

"Not after Nøkk commented him moving like a shadow." He replied, "Moving on, he suffered three gunshot wounds; first in his left thigh, the second at his right triceps, the last and final bullet grazed his right neck… would you like me to continue?"

She nodded. 

"Very well. He had two cardiac arrests, a sprained wrist and ankle, a couple of broken ribs, and a minor concussion." He placed the clipboard next to him. "You're very lucky, that bullet barely missed your heart. It stopped when it hit the ribs, protecting you."

"Ugh… sorry, my head hurts a bit…"

"That's normal, so don't worry about it until it really starts to hurt."

"How long was I out anyway?"

"About a week or two. The White Masks were driven out from the base already, either arrested or killed." He sighed. "And now, this young man is in a coma…" 

"Who's in a coma…" the commander weakly called out, "the last time I checked I'm still alive and kicking." 

"Lad you better lie down." Sledge said as he stood at the doorway along with Tachanka. "I brought him back in, hope you don't mind Mira."

"No, no, not one bit. In fact, I was just about to call him back. It's quite lonely here."

"Ouch," Doc said jokingly.

Mira laughed, "Sorry Doc. No hard feelings." She then turned towards the giant scot, "Sorry for the interruption. So, how could I help?" 

"Oh, right. No, there's nothing I need. It's the big guy over there that wanted to have a word with the injured lad." Sledge pointed at Tachanka.

"Well, why are you asking me? Just tell him."

"That's what I said." Sledge told Tachanka in an "I told you so" voice.

"You all know that I am no longer in a fucking coma right?" The commander reminded the now laughing group. "So, what did I miss?"

After hours of continuous checkup, Doc proceeded to answer the commander's question. To which he was surprised by the results, "I did not expect me suffering that many injuries… I mean, two cardiac arrests… holy shit man."

Doc sighed as he grabbed the commander's medical file, "You should be fine in a couple of weeks. During this time please, don't do extreme amounts of exercise."

"Thanks, Doc."

"Au revoir, Xavier. "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter I'm going to focus more on the interaction between the commander and the ship-girls.


	8. Price for Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do you hurt someone? Do you destroy an item they possess? Do you cripple them? Or, do you attack their loved ones, the ones they care about to truly hurt them? As powerful as the ship girls are, they still have human aspects in them. The ones where once experienced, the memory of it will never truly fade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helo, I am back from my school's work! (yay!) I have to say since I last started this project my overall writing has improved. Hell, I got a 94% on my last essay, the highest before that was a 81. Anyway, a warning for this chapter; Rape is apparent as that's the way I structured the story. I am not proficient at writing NSFW works so it's more of the aftermath of what happened. Regardless, I still hope all of you enjoy reading my works, I promise to upload more frequently as spring break is just around the corner. Who knows, maybe the thicc boi Fuze might make an appearance next chapter ;)

It's been three weeks since the White Masks attacked Universe. Security is still on high alert but has relaxed over time. Now, the commander, sitting in his office, alongside quite a few of the ever so curious ship-girls. Is preparing for his 'ask me anything,' which he promised them after Doc released him.

“Alright, I promised all of you… besides this has been long overdue so… fire away…” He said unenthusiastically.

Eugen was the first to speak up, "Anything huh…" She thought for a moment, "So commander~ can we see that face of yours under the mask~?"

"Could I show you in private?"

"Commander~ I didn't know you have that side~ but I'll be more than willing to be with you in private~" She teased her easily flustered superior. 

“I guess not then…” The commander moved from his seat and approached the German cruiser, "So Eugen," he placed his hand on her chin, tilting her head up causing the tease to blush a little. "can you promise not to view me differently? That goes to all of you who are willing to see my face.” They nodded. After all, most of them had read the letter. 

The commander gestured for Belfast to move the destroyers out of the office before removing his mask. To many, _"Demon"_ was the only word that described the commander's appearance. You couldn't blame them either, a face disfigured by acids and bases engraving the flesh. Scorch marks dominated the leather-like skin, painting a sea of obsidian. Completed with a missing eye and some knife wounds. The commander quickly puts his mask back on to not disturb the destroyers trying to peek through the keyhole.

“There… any other questions or requests?” 

“I always thought that your one-eyed mask was only a design choice…" Enterprise shifts uncomfortably, which made the commander slightly anxious.

"No, it was… never mind. If you'll excuse me, I have to attend a meeting." Just as he moved towards the door, the commander was quickly stopped by Enterprise; grabbing hold of his snow-white uniform. "Enty, do you need anything?"

"…Is this the reason you're never willing to go out in public?"

He chuckled at the comment as he thought for a reason. "You could say that, but normally it's because wearing a mask in public sends some… negative thoughts towards others." He looked at the tearing Enterprise, "Why are you crying?" He pulled out his handkerchief, wiping the carrier's tears away.

"Because the commander is always so kind to us… a-and we always t-thought it was only a simple wound or that because you're antisocial… even when you told us in the letter, we never really believed much… now knowing your story **and** seeing your face… how is it not possible to cry? Tell me, commander!" Holding onto the commander in a tight hug, as if a child was about to leave for daycare; all alone and afraid of the strange atmosphere. Yet, the commander could only gently stroke her head in the hopes of comforting her.

…

In the shadow of darkness, two figures are seen observing the warships' dorm. 

"You sure he's gone?" A dark figure holding a pair of night vision binoculars asked. "Cuz, that face is fucking terrifying. It's like if Freddy Krueger had sex with Two-Face, and fucking Jason joined in to make it a fucking orgy. Man, that shit is creepy!"

"First off, that's fucking weird and disturbing. Second, for the last fucking time, yes, he's gone. And from what we know, he won't be back until sunrise ." The second voice scolded lightly. "Anyway, just, be on the lookout yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah I hear ya. So, when are we moving in?"

"Until you shut the fuck up." He snapped, "Keep watching the room, you'll know when to move in."

"Yeah, **but what**?"

"A giant fucking hot air balloon! There. Happy?" Just as the figure finished his sentence a giant hot air balloon flew across the compound, "Speak of the devil. Let's go."  
…  
The commander, tired than ever, reached home base after an entire day of non-stop arguments and file reports. Expecting the silence of night taking him to bed as he reached towards the locked door. "I don't remember the door being locked when I left…" He said out loud. As he opened the door, the sight he saw filled him with disgust and unrelenting rage

"Commander…?" Hood cried out tearing. She was bounded to the chair, stripped of all clothing.

The commander quickly untied the British battleship, "Who did this to you?!" He rapped his jacket around the sobbing warship, "Hood, please. Tell me."

Wiping her tears away, Hood gathering the courage to speak, "It's… it's…."

"Don't worry, take your time."

"I don't know… All I see is them wearing masks! And their sinister laughter when they-"

"Shh…" he continued to hold her for a minute, calming her down before moving away to grab one of the many masks scattered around the floor. "Is it one of these?"

"Yes… they… the others…" She started to cry again.

"Shh… I understand... I'm here now. You'll be safe here with me." he soothes her as best as he could. "Would you like me to grab your clothes?" 

She nodded.

"Very well, just stay put alright?" She nodded again.

He then moved towards the dorms, _what a fucking mess, chairs all around the hall, doors were broken down…_ The smell of blood and sex overwhelmed the commander, forcing him to cover his nose. Then, a knife grazed the mask, causing the commander to react out of instinct; grabbing the attacker's hand and pulling it towards himself, closing the distance. As he was about to elbow the attacker, Hood yell from behind, "Commander! That's Enter-"

The commander managed to stop his arm before hitting the scared aircraft carrier. "Sorry Enty, are you al-"

He was cut off by a sudden hug from her, with tears in her eyes Enterprise squeezed harder, "Commander!" Once again, she started crying. Only this time she was shirtless while a cocktail of white and red fell to the floor.

"How many more… Enterprise, tell me, how many more are hurt…" He clenched his fist, with fire in his eye.

"I-I don't know… they were here until an hour ag-"

Before the American carrier could finish, a loud thump interrupted her as blood dripped from the commander's fist. "… For eight hours… What kind of commander… no, what kind of friend am I that allows this to happen in the first place! I let my guard down, I loosen security, and that's the punishment…" He fell to the ground as tears of anger and guilt escaped his eye.

"Commander…" Enterprise called out weakly.

"I need to make a call…" He cried out weakly.

…

"Xavier? What the fook are you doing calling in this hour?" Mute asked over the phone, "It's what? Three a.m. mate!"

"Mark, I need you to come to this base after the call."

"Jesus Christ mate, I can't jus-"

"Mute. I **need** you to come to this base as soon as possible." 

"Xavier? You alright mate?"

"No… no, I'm not alright! How could I? A bunch of fucking White Masks just executed my security and…"

"Xavier?"

"They… raped them, Mark. Those fucking White Masks came barging in my base while I was gone! And I wasn't there to protect them… " The commander lashed out as tears streamed out from his eye.

Mute was silent, as fear stirred his thoughts, "Is… Is Hood safe?" 

"....She is now, but not when I saw her…" He then heard a loud bang coming from the other side of the phone. "Mark?"

"An hour. An hour is all I need. I'll bring others along, and this. This is personal."

"I hear you. Mark, we will make them pay." Then the phone was silent.

…

The commander hung up the phone as he continued the search for the warships scattered around the base. "Belfast? Eugen? Where are you? Are you alright?"

"Huh…? Commander!" Belfast yelled from excitement, "It's wonderful seeing you here." She embraced the emotionless commander.

"Bel, you're crushing me…" Upon hearing the commander's slight discomfort she let go as she gave a quick apology. "Don't worry about it, are destroyers alright?"

"All of them are fine, they were away from the dorm when they attacked, so none of them are harmed." She assured.

"How about you? How are you holding up?"

"I was taking care of the destroyers, so I am unharmed."

"What about Eugen?" Have you seen her?"

Belfast shook her head while grabbing hold of Little Bel, comforting the small heavy cruiser.

"I see… Thank you, Belfast. Sorry, I have to find others, talk to you later."

"Wait!" She yelled out, but it was too late. The commander was already gone, "I see why they call you 'Specter' now…"

…

"Eugen? Eugen! Where are you?!" 

Hearing a familiar voice, Eugen, burst out of her hiding spot and tackled the commander, "Commander!" She cried happily, "You are a knight in shining armor." She gave a quick kiss on his mask, "I forgot you had that… here, let me just-"

The commander grabbed hold of the German tease's hand, "Not the time Eugen…" He released his hold before gently patting her head.

Eugen leaned onto the commander's chest as she burst into tears, unable to form a single sentence. To her surprise, the commander removed his mask and gave the German warship a soft kiss on her forehead, "I'm glad you're safe." He said as the mask quickly returned to his face. 

...

As Mute promised, a helicopter was seen landing on the helipad. He was the first to step out, followed by Zofia, Fuze, Glaz, Thatcher, Smoke, Sledge, Doc, and the interrogation expert; Caveira.

"Where is she?" Mute asked urgently.

"I'm here darling…" Her face was dark, shrouded by the events that happened to her, "Please, don't touch me… I am no longer wo-" She was swiftly muted by a passionate kiss from her lover.

Breaking off from the kiss, Mute looked her in the eye, "No matter what happens to you, I'll always love you." Mute promised as he embraced her tightly in his arms.

"Do we have any leads?" Zofia asked.

"Only one, and I'm saving him until all of you arrive." The commander replied, "So, shall we see our victim?"

"Gladly." Mute hastily replied.

The group entered a dark room about ten feet underground. Inside the room was a single wooden chair with leather straps that resemble that of an electric chair. A man was seen tied to the chair with a black bag over his head.

"That's our guy?" Thatcher asked

"He's the only one so… Cav, do your magic." The commander requested.

"If anyone is not willing to see or hear, feel free to exit at any time," Caveira warned, as the sounds of muffled screams and cries filled the darkroom.

_Thirty minutes in, Doc exited the room, his hands covered in blood, slightly shaking. While Glaz unfazed, continued his pencil sketch of the interrogation_

_An hour later, Sledge exited, taking his mask off to breathe the deathless air._

_Three hours in, both Zofia and Thatcher walked out._

"Remind me not to be on Cav's bad side…" Thatcher said half-jokingly.

"I'm glad she's on our side old man."

_Another hour passed as Smoke, covering his nose finally walked out._

"Jesus Christ, how can the two of them still be in there?"

"No clue James, no clue…" Thatcher responded.

After eleven hours of non-stop torture, the trio finally left the room covered in blood and sweat.

"I'm surprised you two joined in, I would've thought you'd be the first to leave." Caveira glanced at the young Brit.

Mute, true to his name was quiet for about a minute, taking in the information gathered from the torture session. "What? Sorry I was lost in thought…"

Caveira simply shook her head while smiling, "Don't worry too much about it." Now shifting her focus on the commander, Caveira reached her arm up to place her hand on his shoulder. "You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Doc approached the two as he looked at the commander dead in the eye, “Ceux qui lament dans le passé né verront jamais l'avenir. I know this is recent but, if you get too emotional about the event your judgment will fail to assist you… I've seen too many friends and colleagues fell victim to it.” He looked at the silent Brit. Sitting alone, still lost in thought. "That goes for you too, mon amie."

The commander lightly patted the side of Doc's shoulder and smiled. "Thanks, Dr. Kateb… what did you say in French earlier? I can piece out 'lament' but that's about it."

The French man chuckled, "Those who lament in the past will never see the future. A friend once told me that when I lost all of my patients after a raid on the field hospital. And please, call me Gustave."

"If you lot are done talking, I would like to know what new, juicy information came from that wanker's mouth." Smoke crept up the duo, placing his arms around their necks. "So?"

"Alright, here's a rough transcript of what happened…"

…

"So you're saying that the only thing we managed to get out from him was their base location?" Zofia, growing ever more anxious by the minute, "Don't get me wrong, the location is great to plan for a siege but…" she paused, "No leaders? No names? It's hard to believe that fucker could keep his mouth shut after that torture session." She glared at the trio, with suspicion in her eyes.

"Believe me when I said that he only gave a location." The commander sighed, "If you want, you could see the tape you know." 

"That was recorded?!"

"It will be destroyed after the mission, of course, otherwise, yeah. It's recorded." The commander sat down before continuing, "And to be honest, that piece of shit gave the information thirty minutes after James left the room."

Caveira nods in agreement, "By that point, I was finished, it's clear he knew nothing more." 

Doc stepped in, "Wait, then what did the three of you…" he then looked at both Mute and the commander. "Don't tell me that you two-"

The duo did not respond, neither did they look at the Frenchman.

"Lad, I suggest you talk to Harry afterward." Sledge stood up as he looked at the younger SAS, "The same for you too." He shifted his attention towards the commander who gave a single nod.

"They can talk to me now," Harry said as he made his way towards the group. "you know, I may be new to the mantle of 'Six', but that doesn't mean I don't know every Rainbow operator."

Mute, startled by Harry's sudden interruption quickly scrambled words in the hopes of creating a sentence, "Harry, I apologize for orchestrating an unofficial mission. But-

"Enough Mark." Harry took off his glasses, "I already heard from specialist Touré regarding the event, and I understand, we are human after all. Emotions are just what separates us from mindless killing machines. But please, for the sake of Rainbow do **not** orchestrate such a mission without informing me.” He sat down on the cold, hard concrete steps as he looked at the troubled SAS. “Talk to me if such an event troubles you or Ms. Hood. I am Rainbow's psychiatrist after all." 

"Now what?" Mute said depressingly, "I broke Rainbow's rule and my moral code… I should retire huh-" Mute was swiftly interrupted by a punch from the SAS veteran, Thatcher.

"Listen to yourself! Did you not hear a single fookin' word from Harry? All this bullshit excuse of you retiring is fookin' pathetic!” Thatcher took a deep breath before continuing, “What's done is done, and there's nothing you or I can do to change it." Thatcher took a step back, looking down on him. "You’re a smart kid Mark, but you do let your emotions get the better of you sometimes. Now, I know your reason and to be honest I will do things worse if I was in your shoes. With that said, remember that you are part of the Special Air Service and Rainbow as well. If something is troubling you, always know we're all here." Thatcher reached his hand out, "C'mon lad we ain't got all day. Those cunts haven't paid their price yet."

Mute, with the help from Thatcher, stood up from the ground and chuckled a bit, "Guess I'm the second person you punched in Rainbow huh."

"Glad to see your humor is still intact."

"So, what's the plan?"

…

"Has anyone seen Tyler?" One of the White Masks asked around, "I haven't seen him since yesterday."

Another, wearing a blood-red jacket, looked up at the nervous youngster. "Nope. He's probably still fucking those whores on that base." He focused back on his deck of cards, "Wanna play?"

"Nah I'm good. Besides, this house has wifi." He pulled out his phone, "See! Full ba-" The young White Mask was silenced by a bullet entering his brain.

"One down, the last one is running towards the bathroom," Glaz informed the attacking team.

"Basement clear, no injuries. What's the status on mid-floor?" Zofia radioed back.

"My thermal scope isn't picking on anything. Assume there are at least three to four tangos."

"Copy that."

...

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" Covered in blood, he ran for cover. Unfortunately for him, he was slugged in the chest by a sledgehammer.

"That's the last one down." The Scottish SAS counted as he looked down at the White Mask, gasping for air. "Mute, Doc! We have a live one."

Mute exited the second-floor bathroom with a bloody shotgun in hand. "Shit mate, what did you do to him? Not that I'm complaining." He shrugged as Doc approached the White Mask.

"From the looks of it his ribcage is shattered, lungs are still somewhat functional, maybe a bit internal bleeding." He backed off, "He will live, but not for long if we keep him here without medical treatment."

"So, what are you going to do lad? This mission is off the record. We can leave him here if you wish."

"Isn't it obvious?" Mute replied, "Doc, save that cunt so we can let Cav interrogate him later."

"You and your profanity…" Doc shook his head as he starts stabilizing the dying terrorist. "C'est la dernière fois que vous verrez la lumière du jour(This is the last time you will see the light of day). " He whispered.

…

"So, how was the mission?" Hood was the first to welcome the group, not before carefully inspecting her lover's face of course, "Judging by that face of yours I assume the mission was a success?"

Mute simply nodded at the question before falling face down on the concrete floor. "Is he dead?" Smoke yelled from his crude treehouse located in the courtyard.

"No ya bloody muppet! Get your arse out here and help me carry this fooker!" Sledge shouted back while Doc tends the knocked out Mute. 

"I hear ya!"

"How the fook did ya get a treehouse anyway?"

"I built it!"

"Did you even ask Xavier when building that bloody fookin' treehouse?"

"Well…" Smoke scratches the back of his neck, "not officially."

"Oh for fook’s sake James!"

“Ahem.” Doc approached the arguing duo, “If you two are done being an old married couple, I would like to remind you that we still need to submit our mission report to Harry.”

“How's the lad and lass doing?” 

“Mark is just exhausted, nothing too serious.” Doc quickly turned to look at the worried British battleship, “I would recommend a regular psychiatric check up on Hood, the memories of being forced isn’t going to go away. Even if she is technically a ship, I've seen enough to agree that it's not an AI that drives them.”

“Glad you’re here with us Doc.” Sledge thanked the Frenchman as he moved towards Harry’s temporary office.

“My pleasure Seamus.” 

…

Harry is currently sitting in his temporary office, well, the commander's office to be exact, looking over the mission report Sledge sent him moments prior. _What a damn nice office_ Harry thought to himself as he lays down the report, observing the room. The office is quite spacious; housing two full-sized bookshelves sandwiching a window looking out towards the dock, a fine dark oak desk sits peacefully in front of the window with documents scattered all around. And right in the middle holds two sets of brown leather sofas, facing one another with a glass coffee table in the middle. As Harry finished admiring the office, a knock rang from the waffle patterned door, "The door's open." He responded.

"You wanted to see us, Six?" Mute stood in front of the open door, with Hood standing beside the nervous SAS.

"No need to be formal here Mark. And, don't worry, you're not in trouble. I simply wanted to talk about the… events that Ms. Hood went through." He gestured the couple to sit on the leather couch with him, as he moved to pick up a clipboard from the desk. "If it doesn't bother you, could you start from the beginning?"

Hood shifts around the couch before responding, "Well… after the commander left the room, a couple of the girls gathered together to plan a 'confidence boost' party for him."

"Do you know the details of said party?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't, my apologies."

"No worries. Please, continue."

"Then, we heard the door open. Everyone thought the commander's back, we didn't know why; perhaps the meeting was canceled. But, no one expected these… these… monsters!" Hood teared up while Mute wraps his arms around the British battleship, calming her down.

"Ms. Hood? We can continue this conversation when you're ready to talk about it if you wish."

"I’m… I’m fine, I can continue.” She wiped her tears away.

“Are you sure? Because you don’t look so good, dear. I mean, I-I-I respect your decision and all, but I don’t want you to beat yourself up over it.” Mute holds his lover in his arms as gently as he could.

“I believe she’ll be fine Mark.” Harry chuckled, “As long as you are alongside Ms. Hood, I believe those traumatic events will be more manageable.” Harry stood up and gave a warm smile towards the couple. “However, if she is having nightmares, do let me or specialist Kateb know as soon as possible. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with your commander.”

“Well, that’s a relief… wait… if I may, what’s the meeting about?” Mute turned around, looking at the Rainbow director.

Harry stopped for a moment, looking towards the ceiling before finally responding to the young SAS. “Let’s just say we had an agreement that will benefit team Rainbow and Universe.”

“That’s… something new…” Hood expressed the news quietly.

“How so?” Harry, intrigued at the discovery, questioned further; “I thought he does these meetings quite often. I mean, he is the commander of an experimental naval base after all.”

“The commander does have quite a lot of meetings and paperwork, although, if there was a long term collaboration he will generally turn the offer down.”

“I guess this is the first time then.” Harry gave another smile, “I’ll see both of you soon enough. Cheers!”

After Harry left the room, Mute’s curiosity got the better of him and started to dig through the mountains of paperwork sitting on the commander’s desk.

“Mark! What are you doing?!” Hood, horrified at her lover’s action, leaped from the couch; trying to stop the Brit.

“Found it!” Mute proudly holds up a brown file, “Now, let’s see what’s inside…” The young Brit removed the brown paper envelope, revealing a single sheet of paper. “_Specialist Specter, or in this case Xavier,_” Mute read out loud, “_I would first like to apologize at the lack of information given over the phone, as I believe this meeting should be attended face to face._ Wow, Harry’s been busy hasn’t he?” He chuckled before continuing, “_As you know, due to the increased amount of White Mask attacks on brand new territory. I, alongside with the former Six came up with a solution._ Now, this is getting interesting! _We would like to officially join the two Base of operations alongside Nighthaven to further strengthen our defenses and the unit’s relations. I’ll give more detail in person. Do give the project a chance._ You know I wasn’t expectin-” 

“Mark! Where the fook are ya?” Thatcher bursts into the office, completely ignoring Hood’s existence as he starts to scold Mute, “Why the fook are ya standing on the lad’s desk?!” He then shifts his focus on the paper he’s holding. “What’s that?”

“You oughta give it a read.”

Thatcher took the paper out of Mute’s hands as he quickly scanned through the information printed on a sheet of A4. Needless to say, Thatcher was both intrigued and surprised at the offer. “Fookin’ hell. If the lad accepts the terms, then he’ll officially become one of us, as a Rainbow operator.” The old Brit smiled as he looked at the youngster, “Who else knows about this?” 

“Just you and me… scratch that. Just you, me, and Hood.”

“Good evening, Mr. Baker.” 

“Bloody hell… good evening to you too.” 

“So grandpa, shall we share the news?”

Thatcher sighed at Mute’s suggestion, “Don’t. I’m sure they’ll announce it when the time is right. As a matter of fact, I think we’ve all been informed.” He held up his phone, showing Mute the short and simple announcement, **_Attention all operators, naval base, Universe alongside the private military organization, Nighthaven. Has officially joined Rainbow, Universe is willing to provide permanent dorm rooms for each specialist to boost comfort and morale, as well as, providing an easier and quicker option to land our operators. While Nighthaven is allowing us to recruit new operators from controversial countries. For more detail, please seek either specialist Xavier, specialist Shah or me._**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like it? I hope you do, this chapter is by far the longest I've written and for a good reason too. Anyhow, I do have an overall idea on the structure of the next chapter but I would really appreciate it if you would like a specific operator or ship-girl to make an appearance. That's all the time I have for today folks, have a good one!


	9. Nevermore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter is on the darker side, don't worry next chapter will be much much happier.

"Xaver! Xaver! Stop fookin' around and help us. Don't make me drag ya out myself!" Smoke shouted as he continued pounding the waffle patterned door.

"For the last time James, I am **not** going to the bar! I still have mountains of paperwork to do ever since the joint operation and the White Mask incident. Hell, I still have another military outpost to worry about **and** help an amnesiac doctor's island, Smoke. A fucking island!" He paused, "Ask one of the Russians, I'm sure they'll be more than willing to help you out." He shouted back as he continued typing on his keyboard.

"I already did! In fact, I asked everyone. Well, the guys if you want to get specific. Other than that, you're the only one not attending." 

Caught off guard at the number of attendees Specter couldn't help to be curious. "What do you mean? Isn't tomorrow an active day? So why would anyone in their sane mind want to participate in our combat simulations while having a hangover!" 

Smoke simply chuckled before replying. “Ah Xavier, Xavier, Xavier. You’re overthinking things! Just join us! C’mon!” His banging continued for the best of another minute before quieting down, “Fine! I didn’t want to end like this mate, but you forced me to use my final solution… Sledge! Hit it!”

“Wait, wha-” Before he could finish his sentence, the biometric lock on the dark waffle door was swiftly blown off by Sledge’s caber. Thus allowing Smoke to waltz in the room uninvited. “JAMES! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?” 

“Relax mate, I’ll cover the repair fees. But I wished we wouldn’t have to proceed to plan B.” Smoke chuckled as he sat on the fine leather chair, “Now, I suppose you have no choice but to join me.”

“I don’t see how fucking up my door will change my need to finish that pile of paperwork.” The commander sighed as Smoke continued spinning around in his chair, "besides, what even is the point of such a gathering?" 

Smoke hopped out of the leather chair as he placed an arm around the commander's neck, "We're celebrating you joining us of course! I mean, what else is there to celebrate?" He replied as the British SAS exited the room, while Sledge stood in between Smoke and the door, shaking his head to the younger SAS. "Alright fine!" Smoke yelled, "Look, I'm sorry if this is all too much for you, but I really, and I do mean **really** want you to join us for tonight's party."

The commander, not able to turn down Smoke's relentless invitation attempts. Finally accepted to join in on what Smoke calls a "Guys night out."

…

The bar is surprisingly crowded for a Monday night. With patrons from the young and bold, to the old yet wise from all around England. As the commander entered Smoke is seen waving his hand, gesturing to him to come in the VIP section of the tavern. This is not shocking to the young commander as unsurprisingly, the SAS operators are frequent visitors of the old run-down saloon. “Alright, I’m here.” He said as the commander presented his I.D towards the bouncer, “So? Who else is missing from this group?”

Thatcher was the one to reply, “You’re the last one here lad,” he chuckled. “Let me guess, paperwork?” he added as a glass of beer is passed to the commander.

“No, I finished those a while back already. It’s the constant harassment from Eugen and Enterprise that delayed me for nearly three hours.” He sighed as he downed the pint of beer in no time.

“And by ‘harass’ you mean you had sex with them for three hours correct?” Pulse poked his head out as a wide smile ran across his face, “C’mon don’t lie! We’re all men here, so why not tell us who to back off?”

The commander shook his head at the American operator’s comment, “first Jack, what the fuck is wrong with your teenage horny ass mind. Secondly, no, I did not have sex with them. That’s just wrong to do as a commander. I mean, I love them and all but there are lines I would much rather not cross.” He added while Pulse gets a well-deserved smack in the head by his friend, Castle.

“Sorry about that Xavier, he had way too many drinks for someone of his caliber.” Castle apologized, “But I have to ask, why the line? I understand the reason, but I don’t see why you're not allowed to date them.”

“It’s less of an ‘I’m not allowed to’ but more of an ‘I wouldn’t allow myself’ kind of situation.” He removed his signature white mask before continuing, “One of the reasons why…” The commander looked at his mask silently, as he viewed his face reflecting off the crystal clear vodka. "Nevermind."

“Mate! Your face is fine! Sure, at first I was a bit startled but I grew used to it pretty quickly.” Mozzie assured as he attempted to appear taller by standing on the wooden chair. “Just remember, if my short stature can get myself a lovely wife with expectin' twins. Then there is no reason why a well built, tall, and thoughtful guy like you cannot have a girl! Or guy. Wait are you into guys?”

The commander laughed at the Australian’s showmen-like personality, “Nah, girls hit me more.” He stopped his grin as yet again his face turned pale, “In fact, I don’t think I can ever feel love. I can feel human empathy and friendship, but affection is something lost to me a long while back.” The commander finished as the room grew ever so silent.

It was Vigil who broke it, “내 동생(my brother), I-I had to leave my mother on her own devices after she got too sick, my older brother drowned during a river crossing, and once we arrived on the opposite side; my father hung himself out of guilt. I never thought I could feel any emotion when I survived. But it was Grace and Craig that changed it; Grace was a little sister to me. I wanted to protect her just how my brother did. And that rough American, Craig, although acted like a demon during training. He slowly grew to be my closest friend in those passing times.” He paused, “It’s not lost to you, you just have to find it again. A reason to. That’s why Rainbow is unique, we are all part of a big family.” Vigil then raised his glass, "A toast to celebrate Xavier being part of team Rainbow and for his mental wellbeing!"

All of the male operators stood up and raised their drinks, "To Xavier!" They all shouted in synchronization as the sound of glass clinking echoed the room. Marking the start of a long night.

…

"All operators please proceed to the designated area for combat training." The announcer's voice filled the pre-game locker rooms as each of them prepared their equipment. Meanwhile, the commander is currently at the R&D lab, "Soo…. What am I doing here?" He asked the Spanish operator.

Mira was scrambling around her lab before shifting her attention to him, "Oh, didn't Alexsandr tell you?" She asked, which the commander responded with the shake of his head. "Estúpido esposo(stupid husband)... I sent you down so you could get the proper equipment and maybe develop your special gadget."

"I understand a special gadget, but what do you mean proper equipment? As in simulation equipment?"

Mira shook her head, "No, no. It's your deployment gear."

"I thought my pilot uniform was more than enough, is it not?" 

"In terms of maneuverability, it's more than enough. But, the lack of proper body armor is what concerns me." She picked up the beaten and old IMC uniform, "Sure, this can stop rounds up to and including a .50 caliber bullet. But this plate is designed for it's stopping power, not durability."

The commander, puzzled by the number of technicalities fired at him, couldn't help but ask, "What's the difference? If it stops a bullet going through my chest I'll take it."

Lucky for the masked operator, Mira's patent is well known. "That is true, however, we don't know how long an operation will take. It could be a few hours to months with little field resupply." She answered as a fresh plate carrier was attached to the uniform, "Better safe than sorry. Learned that from experience." Mira added as a smile ran across her face, "Anyway, your kit suits that of an attacker so be sure to check in with Thatcher. Oh, and if you see my stubborn husband on the opposite side, feel free to add a couple extra bullets to him." 

"Ouch, remind me not to be on your bad side."

"You'll regret that when we face each other." She chuckled as both of them prepared for a long day of training.

…

"Alrighty, lads, let's crush those muppets." Sledge started with his usual team rally, "Gotta start off strong; I want Thatcher and Thermite attacking the main snow garage, be aware of the window c4. Next, Buck and I will attack from the big garage." 

"What about Valk and her cameras?" IQ asked, "Remember last time when you forgot about her and how she held off a one versus five?"

"Both Valk and Echo are out of this game, sadly so is Twitch and Hibana."

"Then who's the last person? You have strong support and hardbreach, with two soft destruction operators. Who do you want Sledge? An entry fragger or support?" Now it's Ash's turn to inspect the plan.

The Scottish SAS turned his attention towards the silent commander, "What about you lad? What can you offer?" 

"Umm…" he thought for a minute, "I guess my training as a pilot alongside the gear would count as one."

"As an air force pilot?" Zofia questioned.

"No, no. I was a pilot for the IMC..." He took a deep breath before continuing, "If you know the IMC, please stay quiet. Otherwise, there's no need for me to explain further."

"... Alright, lad, everyone has their secrets. I trust you that whatever it is, there is a reason behind it.” Thatcher placed his hands on the new operator. “Right, let’s teach our opponent a lesson shall we?”

…

“How?! **HOW?!**” Smoke was seen yelling at the top of his lungs towards the naval commander, “Why can you slide around the floor like it’s on ice? Plus, what the fook is with that wallrun? Not even Oryx can do that!”

"Uh James, I don't think anyone can just scale a wall either," Mira added as she removed her sweat-soaked helmet.

The commander chuckled as he removed his carbon weaved titanium pilot helmet. "I have to admit, this is much harder than fighting against those terrorists a couple weeks back."

"Welcome to Rainbow," Buck said cheerfully. "But, man was that a good fucking clutch Spec!" He added while patting the commander on the back.

"I still don't fookin' understand how you managed to shoot me when I was behind solid cover." Mute said in a slightly annoyed tone, "I was in the perfect cover, a metal box covered in front of me, my sides were reinforced, plus it was concrete above me. So how in the world did you shoot me?"

The commander rubbed his neck, "That would be my pistol doing the work for me." He replied as he pulled out the MK6 smart pistol, "This is the pistol issued to me, it uses targeting AI to 'lock-on' onto a target and once targeted, it displays the trajectory of the gun. Plus, the gun can change the bullet's path to hit the target."

Thatcher stood dumbfounded as he stared at the futuristic sidearm, "So you're saying that this," he pointed at the gun. "this pistol can lock on a person and guarantees a kill?"

"As long as the bullet can curve to hit a target then yes. It is a guaranteed hit."

Kali then walked up to the commander and without warning, quickly disarmed him. "What if an enemy disarmed or you were KIA, what would the gun do?"

The commander calmly responded, "Try and pull the trigger, you'll see."

Kali nodded as she attempted to pull the trigger to no avail, "Biometrics huh? Easy to get around but it will do."

"You're half correct. The pistol is neurally linked to me, if the gun is unable to detect my brain waves or heartbeat it will do a complete lock. Until it reestablishes the connection or I manually unlock it, which is a pain in the ass." He added, gesturing to Kali to return his pistol. "With that said and our simulation finished, anyone up for a drink or two?"

"Commander~" 

"Oh no."

"Did I hear you asking for a drinking partner? I would be more than willing to for my favorite commander~" The heavy German cruiser asked teasingly, "Who knows, maybe I'll need someone to carry me back alone afterward ~" She gave a suggestive wink towards the commander while Thermite could only look at the commander jealousy.

"You know Xavier, it would be dangerous not to accompany a lady on the night streets of London." Mute chimed in as Smoke was trying his best not to smile or laugh.

Now it was Dokkaebi's turn to try and persuade the commander, "C'mon Spec, it's only a drink or two. Nothing says it has to be hard liquor, just go with the girl already! You've been busy as a commander lately so why not take a break?"

"I guess you're right…. Alright, Eugen, I'll take you as my drinking partner. Although do give me a moment to get refreshed."

"It's fine, I can even help you wash if you so choose~"

The commander left the locker room before anyone could see his apple-red face, but everyone had already seen his face and was dying not to laugh. Mira was the first to speak after Specter had left, "Grace,"

"Yeah?"

"Send me the audio file after."

Dokkaebi smiled as she held up her tablet, displaying a recording tab with the commander's phone name on the top. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you get one."

…

"Hmm-" Eugen cried out as she was stretching, waiting for the commander to be finished. "Geez what could take him so long…" The commander was ten minutes late past their meeting time.

"Hey there pretty gal, wanna join me and my boys for a round or two?" A scruffy man in an orange hoodie asked the German cruiser while pointing at his friends.

Normally, Eugen would just scare off anyone with her artillery, but unfortunately, she left those at the base. After all, she was looking forward to her unofficial date with the protection of the commander. "With you? Never." 

Before she could leave, the man grabbed her arm as he pulled out a 9mm. "I don't think you understand here." He said smirkingly while reaching one hand up her skirt. Eugen tried to scream or fight back, but she was helpless as the two scumbags pinned her down with a sinister grin on their face. "You're pretty wet down here aren't you? You dirty whor-" Before the man could finish, he was quickly silenced by a knee to the face. Eugen looked up with tears in her eyes. "Commander…"

The commander didn't respond, once again he allowed someone close to be harmed. This was the final straw for him.

"What the fuck?! Who do you think you ar-" Another hit, this one a straight right hook to the jaw knocking the man down. The other two tried to run, but no one could outrun a bullet. Let alone one with a targeting AI in the hands of a relentless monster. The first shot torn through the left tendon of the man wearing a black hoodie, his bloody body fell limp as his screams of terror echoed back and forth the empty alley. The second shot struck the lower spine of the last accomplice, rendering his legs useless yet able to feel pain.

"You three have some serious nerves to try and rape her." The commander stepped out of the shadows, his blood-stained mask was the only thing "human" to the trio. "See, normally when I meet scums like you I made sure they could never reproduce and speak again. But I'm feeling generous today." He grabbed his data knife and stabbed the first man, "Jacob Willson, age 35. Wanted for escaping a medium-security prison. Oh, you're an inmate! Good thing I know a couple of people to make your life even more hell in there." He moved on to the next, "Tyler Goldenrod, interesting last name. Age 28, currently unemployed with a record of repeated child molesting…" The commander then chopped off both the man's hand before burning it to cauterize the wound, "What, touching other people isn't enough? Now you're touching kids!?." He looked at the neatly organized file the knife composed, "Three counts of possession of child pornography, five counts of child molesting, ten counts of sexual assault on a minor, and a whopping fifth teen counts of human trafficking. Currently wanted for escaping on trial." He then moved on to the last man, with joy in his eye; the commander simply looked at the piss-soaked man on the ground and removed his mask. "I don't need my knife to know who you are. Leo Kaminski, age 25. You're that terrorist who escaped from us last week during the house raid." He then glanced over the terrified trio, begging for mercy. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to let **everyone** know who you guys are." Before he could continue, Eugen alongside Vigil, Mute, Zofia, and Harry stepped in.

"That's enough. We'll make sure those three are taken care of…" Zofia assured the commander while Vigil and Mute helped escort the blood-soaked pilot and the visibly shaken German cruiser towards Mute's Land Rover. The road back to base was a quiet one, the cheesy 70s disco music sung from the speakers while the silence of the night filled the unsung corners of their minds. Vigil surprised everyone when he broke the awkward silence within the car, "Xavier, how is she holding up?"

The commander then looked at Eugen; fast asleep on his shoulder while a small smirk is visible to the world, "I wouldn't know, my hopes are for the best. But I know that is never possible." He quietly replied as to not waken the cruiser while gently stroking her silver hair. "Mark, Chul, what is wrong with me?" He asked as tears rolled down his eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? How is the chapter? Sorry for not posting for a while, I have two other works that are in progress. One is Girls Frontline the other Arknights. I hope you'll enjoy those as well. :D
> 
> Edit 1: Thank you BanzEye for correcting Vigil's bio for me :D


	10. Masquerade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has masks, some wear them to hide their true selves, some wear it to become a different person. Others wear them to hide themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to focus more on the commander's backstory for this chapter so, expect very few ship girls making an appearance today.

"Let me ask you again, what is your name?" A police officer asked the handcuffed commander. "Mate, the sooner you tell me the easier this will be." He continued impatiently.

The commander didn't respond at first, it was his first time in an interrogation chamber; the claustrophobic grey concrete walls trapped the suspect, while the bulletproof one-way glass provided safe observation. "As I told you many times before, I don't have one." Frustrated, the commander raised his voice slightly. "Fuck it, take my DNA. I can tell you for a fact I wouldn't show on your database."

"That doesn't help the problem at hand here! You decapitated a man's hands, interfering with police work, and-"

"The fuck you mean by 'interfering with police work'!?" He stood with murderous intent before the handcuffs dragged him back to reality. "The last time I checked, those three whoresons were about to rape a woman I cared about. While the police took twenty minutes! Twenty fucking minutes! What am I supposed to do? Let those bastards rape her?!"

Startled by the commander's sudden outburst, the rookie officer placed his hand on his standard-issue taser. "Sir I need you to calm down. You know reinforcement can come in a matter of seconds."

"You can wrap it up now," a raspy voice entered the chamber, at which the new officer stood to attention. "At ease Robert, he's been clear of suspicion."

"With all due respect sir, but-"

"We all know son, but the lack of video evidence, eyewitnesses, and the three's unwillingness to say anything forced us to release him."

The rookie then turned to face the commander, "Tsk." Was all he said before leaving the room.

"I do apologize for the lack of communication between the chain of command." The bearded old man said in a calm tone.

"I should be the one apologizing, how long has it been general?"

The general then chuckled, "Too long, way too long. The last time I saw you was before _that_ mission."

"Ahh, good times… I assume you're the one who got me out of this situation?"

"Nope. What I said was all true, there were no alley cameras, no witnesses, and the three are all terrified at you." The general clarified as Xavier couldn’t help but smile, although the subject at hand is pretty serious, the thought of the three attempted rapists being scared for their life is entertaining to the commander. “I see your twisted sense of humor is still intact.”

“Very much so, although I have to say; my time since becoming a commander at Azur Lane has forced me to learn a new kind of humor.”

“Don’t like the job?”

“No, no. I love my position, and I truly care about my subordinates. I just…have to watch my language."

The older man then stood up smiling, "They're not worried about that?" He pointed at the commander's ivory mask, which he promptly took off and stared at.

"Some still are, nothing that I can change about it. Mainly the Royal- I mean, the British side are more worried about my mental health than any other faction."

The general was quiet, but attentive at his former soldier's worries. "What about now? I heard a rumour that you are now part of Rainbow, that true?" The commander didn't reply vocally, rather he placed his pointer finger in a 'hush' sign. "Ah, I understand. In any case, it was nice seeing you once again." He then left the chamber, leaving the commander alone once again.

…

"Do you think he's going to be charged?" Thermite asked as he looked through his hand of cards while glancing at the clock; midnight.

"Don't think so. The three are already terrified at him to say anything, plus there aren't any people around at the time." Pulse replied as he signaled Ash to deal him another card. "Fuck." He murmured.

"A bust I presume?" Yorktown asked in her calm and soothing voice.

"Yeah, by one point too." The flat-headed American replied.

"Sucks to be you, Jack." The commander playfully shot at the surprised group. "I'm back."

"Welcome back, we're playing blackjack. Want in?" Thermite offered as if nothing had happened.

"Nah, cards are never my thing, to begin with."

"Suit yourself." He answered back as he looked at the card Ash gave him, "Oh, by the way. A lot and I mean **a lot** of the girls are worried about you, so I suggest checking in on them." Thermite chuckled as the commander rolled his eye.

…

"C-Commander?!" Enterprise caught off guard at the sight of the commander, stood completely still as he passed by without saying a word.

Catching wind of the news; all of the on-site girls stationed at Hereford came rushing in the commander's temporary office. "Commander-" San Diego cried as she was holding on to the sitting commander, not willing to leave his side.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? You know, a phone call would be nice!" Hornet scolded the tear-soaked commander.

"Honestly, what would we do if you were gone… n-not that I would care!" Hipper quickly added as her face turned scarlet red.

The commander simply smiled at the worried yet happy group. Not that they could see his smile underneath the mask. And amongst the chaos, he noticed something missing. "Where's Eugen?" He asked worryingly.

Then it grew quiet; the rumbles of small talk and arguments all vanished without a trace. "She… She went back to the main base..." Hipper answered as she handed the commander a note.

_My beloved commander, I'm sorry for always forcing you to go to places you never wanted. And this time you sacrificed your humanity to protect me, if I hadn't forced you to go to the bar, none of this would happen…. I'm sorry commander, I couldn't face you after what I'd done. Love, Eugen._

He felt a pain in his chest, he wanted to cry but no tears came out. For once, he felt his humanity returning to him, all for it to vanish in mere seconds. Although no one noticed at the time, something re-emerged within him; his past came to haunt him.

Just as the air grew stale, the public announcement systems around the base fired up, "Specialist Xavier please report to Rainbow director Six's office."

…

"Six, you asked to see me?" He walked in the open room office; natural sunlight bounced around the walls, a cool breeze blew gently from the forest, while the sound of peaceful silence danced in the stale air.

Harry gestured at the commander to take a seat, whilst brewing his favorite cup of tea. "I believe we needed to talk after the events which happened yesterday." He took a sip before continuing, "Besides, I still need to write your psychological report. So, let's chat." He pointed at an empty chair.

The commander obliged as he sat down on the firm, yet soft leather chair. "Where should we start Six?"

"That is entirely up to you."

He lingered on his thoughts for a minute, listing all the possible tales and stories of his past before settling on one he would never forget. "I was already a junior pilot ever since the start of project Ghost,"

"That's the special assassination program?" Harry inquired as he fidgeted with the recorder.

"No, that's a different project. They only send us when they want no witnesses." He reached out to pause the recording before continuing, "That means no one can know about us, no matter their rank, age, gender, all that other shit. If they saw us, their family will no longer be on record." He then resumes the recording.

Harry was visibly distraught over the information, so much so that he forgot to stir his cup of mountain black tea. "I-I… that was never on **any** of the files they gave us. I understand that it was, probably still is top secret. Regardless, I should've been informed."

The commander then removed his mask. _Funny, I used to be wary of my surroundings before taking my mask off._ He thought to himself, "It's better off not knowing the details…"

Sensing the commander's discomfort, the psychologist suggested a change of subjects, "I see. Let's move on shall we? Umm… How about your fondest childhood memory or favorite pastime?"

The commander chuckled, "That's a bit generic isn't it?"

"It's simple and straightforward."

"Alrighty, let's see…" He stared into the spinning ceiling fan, "When I was six years old, I saw my first pilot in action. The way they moved; gliding through the ruins of shelled buildings, flanking squads of enemies and escaping with barely a scratch. It was truly something else." He recalled with amazement. "As for my pastime… running that fucking gauntlet over and over again. Especially when trying to beat that speed demon of a pilot, he calls himself Mayo. That pilot had a record of 11.7 seconds!" He continued with childlike enthusiasm.

Harry laughed at the normally stoic commander's unexpected enthusiasm, "The pilot side never leaves you huh?"

"It never will, it's just hard to hide it when I'm playing commander."

Intrigued at the commander's wording, Harry pushed further, "Why try and hide it? Wouldn't it benefit you if the girls truly knew how reliable you are?"

He leaned back into the chair, his smile slowly fading. "...Because my pilot side is trained to kill without mercy. We are hardwired to have no empathy, no mercy towards our enemies, and most importantly be as straightforward and clear as possible." He replied as his eye locked-on to the director of Rainbow. "It's easy to show my pilot side, but forcing myself to try and be a better human being just for them is something I will never stop doing." The talk between the two lasted well over three hours; most of which are nothing but small talks here and there.

…

"Do you think the commander is in trouble?" Washington asked worryingly while pacing back and forth outside of Harry's office. "That stupid bastard, try to act all cool but ends up getting himself hurt while the thieves ran away." Her voice grew ever more distraught.

"Hm? Washington, did you not know?" Atago asked the jittery battleship.

"Uhh… know what?"

"The events that really happened." Eugen interrupted the two's brief conversation, as a crowd slowly grew larger. "Follow me, I'll fill you in…"

…

"No way, there is no way that our skinny, self-conscious, cowardly, out of shape commander is capable of achieving such feats!" The American battleship continued to resist the idea.

"Whether you believe it or not it is the truth. I was there!" Eugen argued back.

"But still it is hard to believe the commander was able to… _perform_ such an act." Tirpitz agreed with her fellow battleship.

"How are all of you so unbelievably dense?!" Takao, who couldn't contain her frustration yell towards the two battleship

"Woah there lass, cool your head now would you?" Sledge intervened before a full argument could be reached, "So, what's the argument about?"

"Eugen was saying that our cowardly commander managed to subdue and quote on quote, interrogate the three."

"It **is** true." Eugen insisted.

"Fookin' hell lad, why didn't you explain your true military past…" Sledge murmured as more operators entered the common area.

"Let me guess, they are arguing about Spec?" Frost was the first to speak among the operators.

"Yup."

"Then let's just show them." Mute suggested, "Show them the tape."

"Wait, what tape? I thought there were no cameras?" The German heavy cruiser, alongside the remaining ship girls, all shifted their attention toward the Rainbow operators.

Mute then exited and re-entered the room holding a USB stick while plugging it into the projector. "This was taken in as soon as Rainbow arrived, to the police's knowledge this never existed." He explained as the video started to play.

...

"T-That was the commander?! Like, **our** commander?!" Washington yelled from shock as the heavily censored camera footage reached its final destination. "It's like he's a completely different person, a monster even…"

"You got the monster part right." The commander agreed with the silver-haired battleship's assessment, while the latter was scared half to death due to his sudden appearance. "Damn, censoring CCTV footage? You guys are gonna spoil them you know."

Before any operator could answer; Kaid simply pointed behind the commander to reveal the somewhat horrified ship girls. "Your pilot side is showing, my friend.” The senior operator quietly warned him.  
Noticing the difference in his tone, the commander swiftly adjusted accordingly. “Sorry, sorry. Did I scare you girls?” He said with a forced smile, forgetting that his mask is still on. “I couldn’t help but-”

“...Commander, please tell us the truth. Which is the real you? The caring, physically unfit, but kind commander?” Washington refuted as she matched eyes with the now emotionless commander. “Or the ruthless killing machine we just see?”

The commander sat down on the nearest chair; locking eyes with the silver-haired battleship, “Both of them are a part of me. I will be the commander you all know for years, but the moment I see someone taking advantage of a helpless person…” The look in his eye shifted; from the gentle, yet sharp eye. To a murderous look, staring directly into her soul. “Relentless will come out to play.” Before Washington could muster another word, the commander left the room without a trace. Leaving the remaining operators and ship-girls in a gloomy mood.

“You’ve sensed that bloodlust haven’t you?” Thatcher asked his fellow senior operator, Kaid.

“As strong as the wind on the high mountains.”

“I have to agree with both of you. His intentions are good, but the training from his pilot days are conflicting with his morals. Specifically, it’s the training in ‘Project: Ghost’ that forged specialist Xavier to who he is today.” Harry chimed in while holding a brown file, “Here,”

“This is?” The experienced duo inquired.

“His psychological profile and the project, read it. Then pass it on to the operators and operators only.” For once, Harry’s voice was stern. “If his profile leaked due to careless talk, I will turn a blind eye. But the contents of the project shall never, I repeat, **never** be discussed near his subordinates.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have finally finished this chapter! (YES!) Sorry for the wait everyone, I've been busy with school work as well as taking care of my family. I'll try to release more chapters in the future, but expect them to be much longer than normal. Alright enough talking, stay safe everyone!


	11. My Chemical Romance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the decreased activity of the White Masks, both the operators and shipgirls now have more time to spend with one another, some of them even started to form relationships. But, sometimes all one needs is a slight push in the right direction to kickstart a pair.

Half a year has passed since team Rainbow joined forces with Azur Lane, many of them considered each other as part of the family. Some more literal than metaphorical. The bright lights of the recreation room turned on, showing a busty figure sleeping soundly on the criminally soft couch. The commander approached the figure, gently shaking her awake.

“Bismarck, Bismarck, wake up. This is not the place to sleep, you’ll catch a cold.” His voice was soft, a complete opposite from his usual tone when speaking with the Rainbow operatives.

“Hm?” The German battleship slowly opened her eyes, “Commander? What are you doing here?” Still drowsy, Bismarck responds with slight confusion.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m here to take you back to your room.” 

_He’s not wearing his white uniform this time too… now all he wears is that dirty military uniform._ She noted as a sigh escaped her mouth.

"Is something wrong?"

"Eh?! N-nothing is wrong." The battleship looked away, covering her embarrassed face from the commander, who let out a small chuckle. "...Commander, why aren't you wearing your white uniform anymore?"

Caught off guard by the question, the commander grew silent before locking eyes with Bismarck. "My typical answer would be because I'm not at Port and that as an operator, I need to be ready at a moment's notice." He took a deep breath, "But the truth is, Bismarck, I… I can't bring myself to wear it again."

"What do you mean?" She tilted her head. 

To her and many other shipgirls, the uniform is just that, a uniform. To the former pilot, that uniform meant weakness. He wasn't there when the White Masks attacked, nor was he able to stop the thugs from molesting Eugen.

"The thing is… this uniform is way more comfortable than the one from Azur Lane." That wasn’t necessarily a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either., "Let's take you to your room now, shall we?" He reached out his hand.

She let out a small but visible smile, "You really haven't changed." Bismarck placed her hand on top of his, accepting her commander's offer.

The commander remained speechless, _"Haven't changed" huh? It's best that they don't know._ For the first time, he was truly grateful for having a mask to cover his face. Otherwise, Bismarck would have noticed his lifeless eye more than usual .

After escorting Bismarck to her room, the commander took a detour and decided to swing by the research and development section. It is there where he heard a couple of all too familiar voices arguing.

"Oi Mark! Could ya stop leaving your fookin' jammers running all the time?" Smoke shouted as he pointed towards his deactivated phone.

"Well? The fook do you want me to do huh? I already told you I'm running an endurance test." Mute replied calmly.

"I know that, but **why** the fook is it blocking wifi signals from coming to my room?"

Surprised by the chemist's comment, Mute then rushed towards the testing chamber and deactivated the jammers. "James, if this happens again. This needs to be said first." 

Noticing the tone of Mute's reply, Smoke dropped his over the top voice. "Judging from your behavior; not good huh?"

"Yeah, in order to run an endurance test the Monis needs to be hooked up to an external power source. But, I didn't expect it would force it into overdrive." Mute brought his handiwork over towards the workshop, taking apart the jammer without making any excessive movement. "Ah, so that's the problem."

Smoke peeked over his colleague's shoulder, "Mate, I'm a chemist. Not a bloody tech-head."

"See that?" He pointed at the missing space residing at the center. "They forgot to put the bloody calibrator." 

Smoke stood silently, gesturing towards Mute to explain further.

"It means that the signal jammers will be at full power no matter how much, or little power there is." The commander cuts in, surprising the two SASs.

"Ding, ding, ding. Xavier is correct, the oversimplified version that is." Mute added as he gave a small and slow clap, before turning towards Smoke. "You got it now?"

"Fookin' chemistry's easier. Yeah, I got the gist." Smoke replied with a troubled face until someone caught his attention. "Oi X,"

"Hm?"

"Who's the busty blond behind ya?"

Confused, the commander turned around. And there stood the pride of the German navy, Bismarck.

"Oh right, you guys only saw her once. This is Bismarck." He casually introduced. _Isn’t she in her room? When did she start following me?_

"Mate."

"What's up James?"

"I think I'm in love."

…

"James…" Sledge's voice was filled with both astonishment and disappointment. "What the bloody hell is wrong with ya?"

"Nothin' wrong with me ya boldie." Smoke replied drunkenly while attempting to reach another bottle of beer. Which was foiled once the Scotsman handed the bottle to Mute. "Fookin' hell."

"Alright, someone sober up this son of a bitch." Thatcher shook his head. Switching his attention towards the commander, hoping for a reason behind his fellow SAS's behavior.

"He got shot down." The commander shrugged.

"He was shot?"

"No, he got rejected." Mute explained.

Upon knowing the reason, Thatcher stared at the wasted chemist with such disappointment that even Mute felt bad for him. "That's the fookin' reason?!"

"Your divorced ass can't say shite!" The drunken Brit shot back before shifting his focus on the commander, "Honestly mate, why can't I be the one in a bloody harem? You could probably ask anyone of 'em to spread their legs and they'll be happy to do so!"

"Fookin' hell James… alright, someone help me drag this wanker back on base."

"I just want to be loved!" Was all Smoke said before passing out cold.

_Meanwhile…_

"Ehh?! James tried to ask Bismarck out?!" Jäger yelled out, causing him to choke on his coffee. "Why? Did something happen to his wife?"

"He doesn't have a wife Marius, only an adopted daughter." Mira explained before cracking a smile. "To be honest, I didn't know about it until James surprised us with a photo of him and his daughter."

"What's with all this talk about Smoke and Bismarck?" Dokkaebi chimed in with a suspicious gin seeping through her face.

"Don't even try to hide it Grace, there's no way you wouldn't know a single thing about the two of them." Mira argued as the Korean operator rolled her eyes in response. “And knowing you, mind showing us your findings?”

"This used to work… fine. I have the security cams from earlier today, but I'll only show it **if** we make this into a movie night." Her sinister giggle spread throughout the cafeteria, as smiles slowly appeared on the operatives' faces.

“I forgot how scary you folks are when it comes to invading personal space.” Jäger said quietly.

…

After spending two hours trying to carry Smoke back onto base due to a lack of drivers or taxis. The ever tired group decided to plop the drunken Brit right on his door, with a sign that reads 'Chemist without good chemistry.'

"Fuu- glad that's dealt with. You lads want some grub?" Thatcher asked. With the trio nodding their heads as they head towards the cafeteria, before being distracted by a burst of laughter coming from within the recreation room. "Bloody hell is going up in there? Today's not movie night is it?"

"Who knows, want to check it out?" The commander suggested. Mute was the only one who agreed, whilst the other two returned to their room. The duo moved closer to the source until the sounds of laughter can be heard from the other side of the door. In one swift motion, Mute swung open the plywood door.

"Fookin' hells going on here? I can hear all of you from the other side."

"Nothin', just watching James embarrassing himself." The short, energetic Australian responded.

"I see, I see… wait what?"

"Uhh, we're watching James being rejected?"

Mute sighed as he turned around and pushed the commander in front of the gossip-hungry crowd. "Can you explain to 'em what you told us at the bar?"

"Sure I guess." He replied while heading towards the fridge to grab a quick drink, before sitting down on the couch as the remaining operators circled around him like kids waiting for a story. "Despite how she normally acts, Bismarck isn't that good at expressing herself. So she tends to panic and will seek the nearest 'comforting thing' for support." The commander then pointed towards the freeze-frame of Bismarck hiding behind him. "In that case it was me."

The commander later spent an hour explaining all of Bismarck's strange quirks and habits, hoping it would help clear the misunderstanding of the event.

"So what you're saying is James may have a chance." Mozzie blurted out.

"Oh no. It's basically guaranteed, I'm just waiting for Bis to be comfortable around James before pushing her into him."

"What do you mean 'guaranteed? Also, what’s that about pushing her on Smoke?'" Dokkaebi questioned with a curious tone.

"She told me herself after Jame’s confession. She wanted to reciprocate back his feelings, but Bis being Bis, that’s not gonna happen on her own.” The commander let out a giant sigh, “Therefore, I’ll wait until Bismarck is at least comfortable enough to hold a decent conversation with him. Before locking the two of them in a room and hope something will work out.” His sinister grin was enough to spark the cooperation of the Rainbow operatives.

“I heard enough, count me in.” Dokkaebi was the first to speak. “But I want it on record.”

“I’ll take care of that. But, where should this room be?” Valkyrie said with a smile.

“We can use the freezer in Kafe. You know, that little room on the third floor.” Pulse suggested.

“How would we lock them up though?”

“We can ask Miles to spare one of his special barricades.”

As the conversation went on, the simple idea quickly turned into an unofficial operation signed by most of the operators within the base. Although, some of them had to be bribed for their cooperation or use favors to force them to help. This useless operation was appropriately named, ‘Two Idiots.’ 

…

Two weeks have gone by since the implementation of the operation, and with the final preparations in place. All the mischievous operators are waiting for, is the signal by the commander marking the start of their carefully crafted plan.

"Biscuit, can you help me real quick?"

"Hm? Oh, sure thing commander!" She happily replied. Unknown to her, that was the signal everyone was waiting for.

"Where's James?" Mute asked on the radio. _How did they manage to convince armory to give us our comms?_ He thought about it for a while before concluding some favors were involved.

"We're getting him to the third floor of Kafe, the cover story is 'for the hell of it.'" Jäger responded, "How's the room coming along?"

Valkyrie picked up her radio, "The black eyes are in place, I've already removed the blue ring so don't worry about it getting spotted." Her voice was filled with pride and confidence. "Maybe I should use these cams for training!" The American jokingly added, while a loud and audible "NO!" echoed her earpiece.

"Bis just arrived. Try and stall Smoke until she's inside the bar." The commander notified the group.

"Commander, did you say something?"

"Nothing of importance really, just thinking out loud that's all." He bluffed, "In any case, the thing I needed help for is on the third floor."

_At the same time…_

"Not that I mind, but why are we spending time looking around in Kafe again?" Smoke questioned, all the while carefully examining the detailed candy glasses on the shelf.

"Why not? The only time we ever been to Kafe is for training, so might as well take a look at it when it’s not being actively destroyed.” Pulse answered.

“Gotcha mate." Smoke then turns his attention towards the noise coming from the white staircase. "Is anyone else coming too?"

"Yeah, Xavier's bring Bismarck over." Pulse shouted the second signal has been delivered.

"WHAT!?" Smoke panicked, not wanting to leave yet another bad impression. Unfortunately for him, the one who stood behind him was Bismarck herself. "Uh. Um. Hey?"

With a gentle nudge from the commander, Bismarck let out a warm smile and waved at the British SAS.

_I never should've doubted you mate._ Smoke thought to himself. Before he could muster out a single word, all he saw was Bismarck falling towards him. Without missing a beat, Smoke skillfully caught the battleship. The suddenness of her fall caused the duo the fall onto the metallic floor.

"Ouch… What the bloody hell was that?!"

"The start of something beautiful." The commander replied with a devilish grin hidden behind his mask, before barricading them inside the broken freezer room. 

"Oh, and before you even try. This is the real version, not the ones specially made for training." Castle's voice echoed into the room.

"Miles? What the fook are you doing here?!"

"Quit complaining James. We'll pick you up in about three-ish hours, don't worry about ventilation, we specially asked permission to install a civilian AC unit in there." Mute chimed in.

"Jesus. How many of you cuck sucking bastards are in on this?!" 

Then, an all too familiar French accent was heard beyond the Castle barricade. "A surprising few."

"You're shitting me. Even Doc is in on this?"

"Oui. Even doctors need some distractions from work from time to time. No?" The GIGN doctor chuckled, "I also left a package for the two of you, use it when things get… _heated._"

Smoke dug around the empty cardboard boxes before finding Doc's care package; A pack of condoms and a bottle of Viagra. Causing the Iron Blood battleship to blush uncontrollably.

"You bunch of cuck sucking cun-"

"Bye Smoke~ see you soon. Make sure to use those sparingly, or don’t use them at all.” Dokkaebi interrupted with a cheerful voice.

“Same go for you Bis, remember to have some fun~” Prinz added on to the Korean operator’s comment. 

“EUGEN!” The German battleship let out a malicious roar. Causing the commander to notify the remaining troublemakers to quickly leave the room.

…

It's been four hours since the group trapped Smoke and Bismarck together, and many are anxious to know what kind of development the duo has made. 

"Any bets?" Pulse asked the small group of troublemakers.

"Twenty pounds say they fucked." Mozzie blurted out.

"Going big eh? Thirty for the opposite." Thermite hopped on with a wide grin.

Pulse then asked the final member present, "What about you Spec?"

"Knowing Biscuit's personality, I'd go with Jordan's bet."

"Well, that's unexpected. I'll stick with Max's bet." Pulse responded. "Alright, let's see who won this bet."

The four of them proceeded to tear down the reinforced Castle barricade. Exposing the sleeping duos within, as their hands lay together, interlocked. With the not so quiet laughter coming from them, Smoke woke up from his nap.

"Ya fookin' wankers." The tiredness from his voice is still present. And not willing to wake Bismarck up, he kept his tone and movement to a minimum. "Aren't there better ways to set up a date?"

The commander laughed, "There are, but where's the fun in that?"

"Oh fook off." Smoke smiled as he flipped off the four of them. "How long ago was this planned?"

"About two or three weeks ago." Mozzie answered.

The chemist chuckled at the answer, "Three bloody weeks eh?" He turned towards the sleeping battleship and gently brushed her golden hair. "If I'd known earlier, it would only take a day."

"Perhaps. In the end, glad it worked out well." The commander commented.

"Spec."

"Yeah?"

"I'm targeting you the next time training is up."

"That's if you can kill me."

The two of them gave each other a smile. Just as the commander offered a hand to help Smoke get back up his feet.

"Oh, I will blast that bloody mask off your face." Smoke grabbed the commander's hand, pulling himself up before leaning over to carry his now lover, Bismarck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To quote the Cloaker, "I know, I know, I'm late." It's been a while folks. I really appreciate the fact that you're still reading what started as a semi-shitpost to now a full-on narrative. I'll keep on writing this work until I'm fully burnt out, but do keep in mind that I have a chaotic writing pattern, some personal works, and other works that I want to write. That said, once again thank you for sticking with me and my shit writing.


	12. Update #1

Greetings everyone, sorry to disappoint if you were hoping for a new chapter. I just want to take this opportunity to talk about the direction of this work.

As some of you may know, I have other siege crossovers that I've written but only have a chapter or two. This is mainly because of my early plans of siege crossovers. That being; having dedicated works for different fandoms crossovers. But as my experience as a writer grows, the more I want to follow my original plan of one massive crossover with different games. You can say all of the other works were an experiment on how it would possibly work. Which brings me to this, is this something that you would enjoy reading and see how it turns out? I want you guys to voice your opinions on this, since I wouldn't be here without your dedicate support. So I want to be as transparent as possible when it comes to big decisions such as this. Once again, thank you for the support. And as always, take care.


	13. Update 2

Just a quick update for those waiting for the next chapter; currently I am working on writing X's operator profile as a means to get everyone on the same page as to what his character is like and hopefully clear up possible confusions. That said, this work is currently on low priority since I have to worry about school work and my part-time job, so thanks for reading the short update, and see you all again when the profile is done. Cheers!


	14. Operator Profile: X "Specter/Relentless"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, hasn't it folks.

**Real Name:** [REDACTED]  
_(Comment_Nøkk: Didn't you say you don't have a name?)  
(Comment_X: That redacted is only there to throw the enemy off, I don't have a legal name. So you aren't missing much lmao.)  
(Comment_H. Pandey: While this file **is** only for the specialists to read, do keep some formalities when commenting.)  
(Comment_X: I'll try but no promises.)_

**Date of Birth:** [DATA UNKNOWN]  
_(Comment_L. Melnikova: After getting the "go ahead" from X's former higher-ups, I, alongside Dr. Kateb, was granted permission to test his biological age. Testing shows he's somewhere between the age of 24~25. Also, would you mind swinging by Medical? We're a little short on O- blood.)  
(Comment_X: Uhh… sure?)_

**Weight/Height:** 1.87m/70kg  
_(Comment_J. Estrada: Ha! You're shorter than me.)  
(Comment_S. Cowden: Jack, did you say something?)  
(Comment_J. Estrada: Fuck off.)  
(Comment_X: So much for "keep some formalities when commenting.")  
(Comment_H. Pandey: .....)_

**Organization:** IMC, Azur Lane, Rainbow

**Biography**   
_(Comment_X: To save time, I'll upload the recording of me talking. It's fine, right?)  
(Comment_H. Pandey: ...fine, since this document is only for the specialists.)_

[Transcribed audio file]  
Okay, here we go; I don't have a legal name, never knew or cared about my biological parents.  
The IMC was my home. They took me in when I was on the streets and gave my miserable life a purpose. There were other orphans like me too, the "caretakers" brought us to one of the many IMC owned youth centers and drilled military life into us. Looking back, I guess this was the IMC's way of securing an "investment." In my sixteenth year, I joined the marine corps and was assigned to the 13th combat infantry, where I stayed for two years until my incident. After a year of recovery, every application I sent towards any combative pilot training schools was denied until Whitehead opened its doors; it was my final shot at becoming a pilot, so I sent in my application and waited. To my surprise, my shit application got accepted, under the condition that I was to sign a two-year unpaid contract should I graduate. In any case, out of the two hundred and fifty-three applicants, only twenty-three survived their hellish training course. I lost many good friends during those eliminations… we were subsequently deployed on the battlefield as standard assault pilots. Once my two-year contract was completed, a letter notified my qualifications for spec-ops training. I took that opportunity in a heartbeat; infiltration and sabotage operations were my bread and butter. As luck would have it, I was assigned to the exact unit that saved me in the first place; the 13th special operations pilot division, more commonly known as "Phantom's Remnant." After five years of service with Phantom, I was discharged from the division honorably before being recruited as a commander for Azur Lane. The rest is history.  
[End of Transcription]

**Psychological Profile**

**Psychological Report**   
_ Specialist X is an… interesting person. There's almost zero background information regarding who he is, even if there is one; chances are, those files are highly classified. Even I had a hard time convincing the IMC to share some of the files. But thankfully, specialist X trusted us enough to share his story. As a former infiltration assault pilot, his experience and expertise in close-quarters combat are second to none. Both specialist Zofia and specialist Pereira had challenged him on multiple occasions, only to have won a handful of times. Which made me curious as to who would win in a hand-to-hand combat situation, specialist X or specialist Fisher? So the topic was brought up during our conversation; interestingly enough, both specialists reached the same conclusion; if specialist Fisher were at his prime, he would've easily won every time. But as of now, the two seem to be evenly matched, with specialist X having a slight edge. With his CQC training in mind, I suggested specialist X reach out to other specialists lacking in such situations. So far, only specialists Zofia, Pereira, and Fisher are actively learning and teaching specialist X. I sincerely hope it expands in the future; otherwise, it might leave a dark history in the brave recruits who wished to challenge them[...]_

_[...]His firearm evaluation, on the other hand, is below average when compared with the other specialists. I asked about his thoughts on the firearms score, to which specialist X laughed and responded half-jokingly, "That doesn't surprise me really. I guess that's what happens when you spend more time training for CQC while over-relying on the smart pistol."[...]_

_[...]While specialist X, for the most part, had come to terms with his facial disfiguration. According to the specialists, he is still very much reluctant to fully take off his mask, even when showering or sleeping. Typically, during a live operation, specialist X does remove his mask to wear his helmet. However, on the rare occasions during off time where he does take off the mask, he does tend to show more emotions as it's, I quote, "dead easy to read the fucker's thoughts."[...]_

**Device Evaluation**  
Device: _SRE MK7 Anti-Personnel Smart Pistol_  
Operator: Specialist X "Specter/Relentless"  
Evaluation Lead: Dr. Elena "Mira" Álvarez, Director of R&D

_Although I had initially planned for an evaluation on the jump kit, I was kindly rejected by Specialist X, his reason is, and I quote, "I don't want to worry about an explosion going off near my ass than I already have." In the end, we settled on his heavily modified experimental MK7 smart pistol. The MK7 Smart Pistol has a few upgrades and changes from the MK6 (Comment_E. Álvarez: according to the information given to us about the firearm): improved hostile detection AI, heartbeat/brainwave pilot binding/synchronization, self-repairing functions, and a whole list of improvements. But the most prevalent change is the barrel and its newly developed MK3 Laser Aiming Module(LAM). Why is this a game-changer? I'll tell you. Now, usually when you want to take full advantage of the "lock on" feature of the MK6, you'll need SPRs(Smart Pistol Rounds); otherwise, it's just a standard pistol. With the MK7, on the other hand, the targeting and adjustment systems are all handled by the barrel. Meaning the LAM would still theoretically work as intended while using standard ammunition. Unfortunately, we do not have the technical knowledge nor resource to repair the MK7 Smart Pistol to test this theory._

_(Comment_Nøkk: X, if you don't mind. Could you tell me about the "Viper's Domain" engraving?)  
(Comment_X: It's... a memorial of an old but dear friend. Cocky bastard, always saying the sky belongs to him. Never lost a single aerial combat in the many years I've known him. From what they told me, his last fight was a ground-aerial duel... The fucker's right, the skies do belong to him.)_


End file.
